Lifestyles
by thespringmoon
Summary: A new transfer student shakes things up at a rich private school. IchiHime, RenRuki, IshiNemu & more later!
1. Vignette

_**A/N (and a long one at that!):** __Ahahaha… I have so many IchiHime stories started that it's not even funny (And I haven't even put them up!). Lord only knows if I'll be able to keep up with all of them, but I'm going to try!_

_This one was undoubtedly inspired by Ouran Koukou Host Club (lulz… there won't be a club, though. I leave that idea with Bisco!). That, and the fact that I love writing about rich people. Isn't everything more fun with money? I know I'm the kind of person who gets cheat codes for Sims 2 so that I can build ridiculously elaborate houses! Anyway…_

_**Setting**__: I feel like I should explain this part first, so that I don't have to go into some long narrative about the school in the middle of the story. The majority of the story takes place at a kinda-large (the campus), kinda-small (the number of students) private school. The school is in a secluded area in Hokkaido, and can only be reached by helicopter (unless, of course, you want to brave the forest that surrounds the school). Everything the students need is provided on the campus. The school and it's other buildings form a small community for the students to enjoy. The students ARE required to stay in dorm rooms, although there would be nothing to complain about. The dorm rooms are like luxury apartments (aha… how much is tuition?!), with two bedrooms, a living area, a nice kitchen (connected to a dining room), and a huge bathroom. _

_Alright… I think that's all the details about the school… If there's anything else that I remember later, I'll mention it in the story (since it will be something small)._

_**Pairings**__: I haven't completely decided what other couples I want to include in here, but I can tell you that there will be: **IchiHime** (OTP, anyone?!), **RenRuki **(3), and **IshiNemu** (yesh!). Seriously though, make requests for other pairings, and if I like it enough, I just might add it in (if not, you'll get over it :D). The only rule is that it can't be involving Orihime, Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Ishida, and Nemu! Those are the firm couples in this story, dearies! _

_When I started mapping out the story in my mind, I realized that, even though this is inspired by Ouran, Ichigo just happens to be the Anti-Tamaki ( I thought it was funny…). Oh, you'll have to forgive me! I've made Orihime a bit of a flirt (no, really. It's not really that big of a difference!), even though she's oblivious to it. It's for the sake of the story (or, at least, that the excuse I'm using! XD)! AND FINALLY! I. do. Not. Speak. French! The French words/phrases have been taken off of various websites! I'm extremely sorry if they're not used in the right context (but I will try to avoid such blunders)! Feel free to correct me anytime!_

_Mkay! That's it! Happy Reading! _

/0/0/

**Chapter One- _Vignette _**

Everyone was chattering loudly in the classroom, each of them in their usual groups. Several girls were standing in the corner in the back of the room, a few boys sitting on top of desks in the front, and various groups spread somewhere in between. Today there was actually an excuse for them to be so loud, though. It was rare that anyone ever transferred into their school. The majority of them had known each other since they were five, as they were all enrolled in the same academies. After all, rich kids stick together? The fact that they were getting new blood in the school had everyone, including the upperclassmen, buzzing. It only added to the gossiping that no one knew who the person was. All they knew was that this student was from outside the country.

"I've heard it's some kid from India! His father moved here to sell jewelry his family made from some precious stones they found in Africa!" one girl said excitedly. "I wonder what he looks like!"

One boy scoffed. "I've heard it's only some kid from America. His parents are here to invest in some major Japanese companies! He'll only be here for a semester…"

"Oh, whatever, Yoshida-san! You too, Maeda-san!" another girl piped up. "You two obviously have no idea what you're talking about! This person is definitely from Russia! His parents are here on extended business to talk over contracts with the government!"

The previous two groaned simultaneously. "You're so off so off the mark!" one of them shouted back at her. This immediately started a rather rowdy argument between the three. They had all stood up to take defensive positions. Yoshida-san with his arms crossed over his chest, Maeda-san with her hands on her hips, and the other girl with her right index finger shaking at both of them.

After about three minutes of hearing continuous shouting, a girl who had been chatting with her set of friends stood up and tightened her fists. Her relatively short, spiky black hair blowing slightly as she walked briskly up to the three. She grabbed Yoshida by his collar and pulled him closer so that he was only a few inches away from her face.

"None of you know what you're talking about!" she practically growled.

"Arisawa-san?!" Maeda questioned the girls actions, backing up slowly. "D-do you know who it is?"

Arisawa Tatsuki pushed Yoshida into a chair while releasing him. She ran an irritated hand through her hair and sighed. "Yes. Yes I do."

The other girl smiled, clearly excited, "Who is it?!"

Tatsuki looked at the three who were staring at with white-hot gazes. She let her eyes roll over each of them before letting them find their way around the classroom, noticing that the entire class, with the exception of young man who was buried in his arms, asleep, was listening intently.

"Inoue Orihime…"

"Oh my God!" one girl shouted from the back of the room. Everyone practically jumped at the sudden voice. "Inoue Orihime?! The girl who inherited her entire family fortune after her brother tragically passed away six months ago? Doesn't her family own the line of luxury pastry shops called _Conte_? They're all over the world!"

Tatsuki nodded and frowned. "Why are you so excited? She hasn't done anything to warrant a fan base…"

The girl laughed heavily. "There was this article about her brother and what had happened to him a few months ago. I've kind of been reading about her," she replied nervously. Her friends looking at her with confused eyes, backing away from her slightly. Honsho Chizuru was just a little bit too excited for their tastes. "I've wanted to meet her for a little while, but Daddy said he didn't have time to accompany me to France… I wonder what she looks like!"

Tatsuki nodded at the girl sighed with frustrated expression on her face. _Do these little rich kids have anything better to do with their time? _She thought, obviously forgetting that she, too, was a "rich kid"._ Like… I don't know… get a life? I mean, seriously, they've got all this money and they spend their time fantasizing about other people with money. What the hell?_

"How does Arisawa-san know that she's coming? Are you two acquaintances?" a boy from her own group asked. Kojima Mizuiro pulled his earphones from the sides of his head, waiting for the answer.

"More importantly," a voice said from behind Mizuiro, before another boy jumped out, spinning dramatically and stopping a few feet away from Tatsuki, "Is she cute?! What does she look like? Details! I. Need. Details!"

"Oh, shut the fuck up Asano before I have to MAKE you," she yelled, killing intent in her eyes. He nodded and found it difficult to gulp. She let her expression soften slightly before turning to Mizuiro, nodding. "I've known her since I was seven. I traveled to France one summer with my Dad, who was on some business, and somehow ended up meeting her, I don't exactly remember how. We clicked instantly. I've visited her every summer since then." She paused and a small grin appeared on her face. "She's a good friend. Nah… she's my best friend."

Several people started chatting as soon as she finished her sentence. One girl even called out, "That's amazing, Arisawa-san!"

Tatsuki frowned, "Really, guys, it's not that big of a deal. Ishida's met her before too."

Several people gasped before turning to look at the front corner of the room. Ishida put his book down slowly and turned to look at them, pushing his glasses up. "Is there a problem?"

Keigo pointed dramatically at the young man, and cried, "Yes! There is a problem, indeed! How the hell did you meet her?"

Ishida frowned, "Why does it concern you?"

"I just want to know, damn it!"

There was a glare on his glasses as he lifted his head, sighing. "I met her at a fashion event last summer. Arisawa-san introduced me to her."

Keigo turned back to Tatsuki, obviously already forgetting her threat from before. "Does this mean you'll introduce me to her, too?" he questioned excitedly.

"Hell no! You stay away from her!" she said immediately. "Being within close range to you will destroy her brain cells."

Keigo sniffled, "You're so cruel!"

"And damn it, I have a right to be!"

The spectacle was interrupted as a noise was heard from the doors that led into the classroom. Everyone's heads whipped around simultaneously to stare at the door, several of them gulping, others starting to sweat profusely. Everyone held their breaths as the handle on the door twisted slowly and the door swung open. It was! It was!…Chad? He shut the door behind him quietly.

Everyone groaned out an unenthusiastic, "Good Morning, Sado-san," some holding the last syllable out. His wavy dark hair covered his eyes, but he could see the obvious disappointment.

He walked over to his desk, which was right behind the desk that was holding up the only sleeping student, and sat down quietly. He turned his head to Tatsuki and she obviously picked up his wordless query.

"They were excited about the new student who's coming in. They thought it was her coming through the door," she responded as she flopped down in her desk, crossed her legs, and continued to send death glares at Keigo, who was still looking at her with puppy-dog eyes.

He nodded and looked at the young man who was sleeping in front of him. "How long has he been asleep?"

Tatsuki shrugged, and replied, "I have no idea. At least as long as I've been here…" She let out a frustrated sigh. "He really doesn't have an excuse to sleep in here, right? Not with all of the extra privileges he gets…"

Sado shook his head solemnly and added quietly, "You obviously haven't seen his father's morning rituals…"

Before Tatsuki could even ask, there was muffled shouting from outside the door. Everyone looked at it questioningly and not five seconds later it slammed open, causing some people to jump at the harsh sound. As some opened their tightly closed eyes, a rather short girl with raven hair stormed angrily across the front of the class. Immediately behind her was a, well, rather tall man with flaming red hair, pulled into a low braid in the back, and a bandana over his forehead. The door slamming behind them caused the ones who hadn't jumped the first time, to wince slightly.

"Oi, Rukia! What the fuck are you so pissed about?!" he called after her as she kept up her angry pace to the area where Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, Chad, and the sleeping young man were sitting. "I **asked **you a question, damn it!"

Rukia turned sharply on her heels, causing the red-haired to almost slam into her. Her expression softened and she lifter her hand, moving her index finger to signal for him to come closer. He quickly obliged. As he came eye level with her. She grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him closer, moving her face so that her mouth was only a couple of inches away from his right ear. She smiled and with a creepy sweet-but-too-sweet voice, asked, "Abarai-san wants to know what I'm so angry about?" He gulped at the use of his last name and her eyes narrowed. "Figure it out, yourself!" She had screamed it so loudly that he flew back, his hand over his ear, wincing. She turned around and with a small "humph!" sat down in the desk behind Tatsuki's.

Keigo looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, "Wow… what did you do to her this time?"

Renji frowned at him, clearly displeased, "How the fuck should I know? She won't tell me!"

Keigo glanced at Rukia and then back at Renji, shrugging. There was no way he was going to ask Rukia, himself. He'd rather take on a rabid pit bull than mess with her while she was in the kind of mood. Rukia normally had a gentle-but-firm disposition, but when she was irritated, her words hurt more than a whip on a wet back. He slumped in his chair and sighed.

Tatsuki heard her phone start beeping. She stood up quickly and got it out of her uniform's jacket pocket. She beamed at the number that was on it and opened her phone quickly. "Moshi, moshi?!" Everyone turned quickly to watch Tatsuki on the phone.

She laughed heartily as she started walking towards the front of the room. "How can you get lost?…It's not **that** big!…True, true." She was nodding as she opened the door and stuck her head out into the hallway. Everyone's eyes widened as they heard as distant squeal coming from down the hallway, Tatsuki's phone snapping shut, and heels clicking on the marble floors of the school. The rest of Tatsuki's body quickly left the classroom and everyone gasped.

"Oh my God…" Chizuru breathed out. The other students started to fidget in their seats, some going as far as to check their appearances in their pocket mirrors. Doesn't everyone want to make a good first impression?

"…she's here!" Keigo finished up what she was going to say as he skipped towards the front of the room. Before he could even make his way completely up the aisle, Ishida stood up in front of him. Within a few strides he was already exiting the room, causing another squeal to find its way to the ears of the students still sitting in the room.

They could hear the chuckling of Ishida and Tatsuki and the giggling of an unfamiliar voice. As the indistinct chatter got closer and closer to the door, several students held their breaths.

Tatsuki reentered the room with a wide grin on her face. She turned to the door and made a few hand motions telling this new person to come in. "Come on! They don't bite! Well…most of them…"

If any other stranger had walked into the room at the moment Inoue Orihime entered the room, they would be forced to assume that these youths were desperately trying to catch flies, with so many mouths wide open in disbelief.

She hadn't walked in briskly, but shyly, taking very slow steps until her entire form could be viewed by her peers.

She wasn't in uniform (she would later explain that there had been some mix up when the school ordered hers…something about the bust area not being NEARLY large enough). She wore a simple black top, one side of it was falling off her shoulder, a pleated red skirt that wasn't quite a mini, but didn't reach her knees. Underneath the skirt were thick black stockings that led down to modest black heels. On her arm was a red blazer, neatly folded.

The classroom wasn't as nearly as focused on her fashion sense as they were on her face and body. She wasn't terribly short, most guessed around five-foot, two-inches, but her legs were long. She was pleasantly curvy, with the exception of her thin waist. From her hips to her rear end to her breasts, everything was protruding just the way they should have been. Her delicate body was just the prelude to her innocent face, which was adorned with large, caramel eyes (topped with long black eyelashes), a button nose, and small pink lips. And finishing off her appearance was her auburn, sometimes copper if the light hit it the right way, hair. To answer Keigo's question: Yes. She is very cute.

She finally made it to where Tatsuki was standing, Ishida a few feet behind her and glanced at her before turning to the rest of the class, bowing. "Ano," she paused, and straightened up before smiling brightly at her peers, "I'm Inoue Orihime. It's very nice to meet you all. I hope we get along well."

Half of the class had been stunned enough by her entrance, but what rendered the rest of them speechless was her sunny smile. She turned nervously to Tatsuki, feeling uncomfortable at the silence she had obliviously caused.

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow, curious as to how they went from chatter bugs to squashed crickets, and grabbed her friend's hand, pulling her towards her group of friends, who were sitting in their seats as equally quiet as everyone else in the room.

"Alright!" Tatsuki said excitedly, as her peers found their voices and started talking between themselves again. "Where do we start the introductions?" Orihime stood behind her tomboyish friend with a weary but sincere smile.

After a few seconds of debating with who to start off with, Mizuiro stood up and stretched his hand out to Orihime, who caught on very quickly and grabbed his hand. He smiled, "I'm Kojima Mizuiro. Nice to meet you."

Orihime nodded and smiled at him. Tatsuki jumped in, "Kojima's family is one of the worlds' leading supply of electronics, specifically music related items."

"Ah!" Orihime exclaimed. "I suppose you get all the latest MP3 players?"

He nodded. "The best!"

Keigo and Chizuru, who had abandoned her group in the back, were waiting eagerly to be introduced. Tatsuki caved under their pleading gazes and sighed, pointing to the two. "These two are Asano Keigo and Honsho Chizuru." They both stepped forward and smiled at her.

"Asano's family," Tatsuki continued, "manufactures a fair amount of novelty goods here and in China. Chizuru's family is--"

"Hold it! Hold it!" Chizuru cut in, looking quite anxious. "She really doesn't need to know what my family does so soon."

Orihime blinked for a couple of seconds and said softly, "I'm sure it's nothing that can scare me off."

"I'm not so sure about that," Tatsuki mumbled under her breath, smirking.

"Tell me, please!" Orihime said smiling.

Chizuru couldn't resist and spoke quietly, even though everyone else already knew her family's specialties, "Well… my family has a huge hand in…well…"

"It's okay! You can say it!" Orihime said encouragingly.

"My family is well known for putting out sex videos," she paused before adding in, "Tasteful ones! We've sold some videos that rival some of the country's box office hits. They're very compelling. We also produce…um…" she whispered, "toys."

Orihime blinked again before giggling. "There's nothing to be ashamed about!" Chizuru beamed at her acceptance. "I mean…everyone does it, right?"

Without even thinking, Keigo asked excitedly, "Do you do it?"

Tatsuki quickly fumed and began lunging for him, only to be cut off by Orihime's giggling. With one hand over her mouth, her face slightly flushed, she asked, not noticing how flirtatious it sounded, "Now, why would I tell you that?"

Keigo and Chizuru practically gained nosebleeds and jumped out to hug the new student, one of them crying out something like, "She's perfect!", only to be cut off with Tatsuki's palms smashing against their faces and pushing them away. "Don't you touch her!"

"I thought your Dad sent you to etiquette school?!" Keigo whined. "Why are you still acting like this?!"

"To hell with etiquette school! That doesn't even have anything to do with this!" Tatsuki continued to push the two until they were at the back of the classroom, following up with a quick scolding.

In the meantime, Rukia had stood up and held her hand to Orihime, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kuchiki Rukia!" She was still trying to cool down from her previous fight with Renji.

Orihime grabbed her hand and beamed, "It's nice to meet you too!" She paused and stared at the girl's violet eyes before gasping, "Your eyes are absolutely stunning!"

Rukia blushed quickly, "Thank you! Some people don't seem to think so," she said shooting a glare at Renji who was sitting in the desk to the right of the sleeping boy.

"What the hell?!" he shouted defensively. "I've never said anything about your eyes!"

"Exactly!" she retorted quickly, which promptly started their bickering all over again.

Tatsuki rejoined the group and stood next to Orihime who was watching their fight with a worried expression. "Don't get too concerned," she said patting her friend's shoulder. "They do this just about everyday." She paused. "Anyway, Rukia's family apparently has some noble blood and are highly respected among the Japanese community. They have invested money in so many companies that it's hard to count." She pointed at the red-haired boy. "Renji's family owns a company that is funded by the Kuchiki family."

"What kind of company?" Orihime questioned.

"His family makes cars and motorcycles," she answered matter-of-factly.

"Ah," was all she could reply with before redirecting her attention back to the fight that was unfolding in front of her.

"I think that's…oh, wait!" Tatsuki smiled. "This is Sado Yasutora." Orihime turned her head quickly to look. "You were so quiet I almost forgot about you!" she said half-jokingly. "Sado's family manufactures musical instruments. From classical instruments to guitars to…well…everything."

Orihime bowed her head slightly, "It's nice to meet you, Sado-san!"

He nodded without saying anything.

There was a long pause before Orihime asked ,"Who's this?", pointing at the sleeping figure. Orihime had been secretly stealing glances at the sleeping boy since she had entered the classroom and could no longer resist asking. She couldn't see his face, which was what was bothering her the most, as it was buried deeply into his arms on top of the desk. He had even gone as far as to wear a jacket, the hood of it effectively covered the rest of his head.

Tatsuki frowned a bit. "Kurosaki Ichigo." Orihime looked at her friend, desperate for more information than just his name. She continued, "This kid probably has the most money out of everyone in this school. His father has built an empire out of huge hospitals all over Japan. They even have some out of the country." Orihime nodded, knowing that wasn't all. "His family also works very closely with the Kuchiki family when it comes to investing in companies." She paused. "Oh! And his father owns this school…"

Orihime gasped out of delight, "How interesting!" She looked down at the figure, biting on her lower lip. She walked over to Ishida's desk which immediately in front of the desk that supported the sleeping boy. "Ishida-kun, can I borrow your chair for a second?"

He looked at her questioningly before nodding and smiling, "Of course."

"Thank you!" she beamed. She quietly took his chair and turned it around so that it was facing the boy. She smoothed her skirt out and sat down on it, leaning closer to the boy. She heard his soft breathing and took in his scent. She couldn't help thinking he smelled nice. "Tatsuki-chan! You should wake him up!"

Tatsuki groaned, "I'm not so sure if that's a good idea, Orihime…"

"Why not?"

"The guy is already a grouch on good days. Waking him up…"

Orihime waved her hand, grinning, "I think it'll be fine, Tatsuki-chan!"

Tatsuki grudgingly walked over to his desk, placed her hand on his shoulder, while still trying to keep a good distance between them, and shook him lightly. "Oi, Ichigo!"

Nothing.

She shook him harder. "Ichigo! I'm tired of babysitting Keigo for you! He's supposed to be your problem!" Keigo huffed indignantly in the background.

He stirred for a moment and then went back to sleep.

She reached over into her desk and grabbed her notebook, and shouted, "I-CHI-GO. GET. YOUR. ASS. UP." Hitting him with the notebook with each syllable.

Without any kind of warning, he shot up causing Tatsuki to jump back, extremely wide eyed. Everyone in their group turned to look at him. He still had the hood pulled over his head so far that it was covering his eyes. Rukia and Renji had put their fight on hold and now had both of their faces twisted in worry as they waited for the storm that was about to erupt in the classroom.

Ichigo took a nice, deep, long breath. His lips parted slowly before it widened and let out a shout that caused people all throughout the class room to jump, "WHAT THE HELL," his hand reached for the hood, "DO YOU THINK," he pulled it off quickly, "YOU'RE…do…?" His sentence trailed off when he realized his chocolate eyes were staring straight into big caramel ones; Inoue Orihime's nose only about an inch away from his.

With a yelp he flung back in his seat. Tatsuki was forced to stifle a laugh that his facial expression had brought on.

Orihime quickly started looking him over, admiringly. She started, oddly, at his torso, noticing that, even with the jacket on, he had a rather lean body. Her eyes moved slowly up to his face and into the eyes she had been staring at only a moment ago. She smiled inwardly at how fast his face went from surprised into a, clearly, displeased scowl. She smiled even more at how endearing she found this particular scowl. She continued exploring his features until she finally caught sight of his bright orange mop, her eyes immediately widening.

She instantly spit out, "_S__aperlipopette!_ Your hair is amazing!" She clamped a hand over mouth, realizing how forward she had just been. Her face flushed. "I mean…I've never seen anything like it." Her eyes traveled, in shame, to the floor.

Ichigo was looking the girl he almost cursed out over just as carefully as she had been him a few seconds ago. He caught his eyes lingering on her face a little too long before he turned to Tatsuki. "Is she serious…?"

Tatsuki looked at him with a raised eyebrow and nodded, slowly.

He looked back at the blushing girl and mumbled, "Thanks…I guess."

She looked back up at him and beamed at him, "You're very welcome!"

As she smiled at him, his scowl faltered for a moment, revealing a softer expression, before he caught his blunder and fixed his face back to its normal state. He was hoping no one had noticed…

"Oh my God, Renji!" Rukia gasped. "Did you see that? You saw that right?"

Renji nodded and then began to chuckle, "And then he tried to pretend no one saw!"

"S-shut up!" Ichigo said standing out of his chair. "What're you talking about?"

Rukia smirked, "Ichigo I've been your best friend for an eternity! I've been around almost as long as Arisawa-san has! You know I can spot these things out! Don't make me call you out on what you just did!"

His eyes narrowed and he flopped back down in his seat, putting his elbow on his desk, head in his hand and grumbling out something about, "…stupid…midget…bitch…"

Rukia clapped her hands together in victory before looking at an oblivious Orihime. She was blinking and she glanced up at Tatsuki.

Tatsuki smiled at this recent development and figured she'd go back to her original task. "Oi, Ichigo!" He looked at her out the corner of his narrowed eyes. "This is Inoue Orihime. She just transferred here from France."

His gaze traveled back to the girl whose head bowed slightly before she smiled again. "It's very nice to meet you, Kurosaki-kun! I hope we get along well!"

/0/0/

_**A/N:** So there's Chapter one! I read it over and over again, but if there are a few minor mistakes: I'm sorry! I hope you'll stick around for the next chapters! :D_

_I lurves you even though I don't know you! Gewdbye!_


	2. The Green

_Dear Reader-sama,_

_How are you doing on this lovely insert day (morning, afternoon, evening, night)? I want to express how brave you are for even daring to read the second chapter of this humble author's fan fiction. It means a lot to me!_

_Was it silly of me, Reader-sama, to forget the disclaimer on the last chapter? As soon as I put it up, I noticed it and a few more typos (because that's just how my luck works)! Ah…I'll try much harder from now on, Reader-sama!_

_Writing the first chapter was easier than I thought it would be (maybe it was because I originally had a prologue? I don't know…), but I had a difficult time jumping into the second chapter for some reason! I'm sorry if it's kind of boring, too. I didn't feel right jumping into what I have planned for Chapter Three so soon. Please bear with me! I only have intentions to write something that I, myself, and you would enjoy reading! I'm trying to make it the best it can possibly be!_

_I have so many ideas for this story! Or…at least I've had. I keep forgetting them (luckily something happens to me personally that jogs my memory). I should probably start writing them down, hm? But! I'm having a blast figuring out ways to transform Bleach scenes so that I can put them in this story (and I've been contemplating a few Ouran scenes as well!), although a good majority of them won't be popping up until later!_

_…You haven't left yet, Reader-sama? Ah! You make me love you more and more with each chapter I post (lulz…this is only the second one)! Please feel free to tell me how I can improve! I'd really like to!_

_Thank You,  
__Spring-san_

**Disclaimer**: _If I owned Bleach, it'd be one wonderful pile of mushy IchiHime romance! Aren't you glad that Kubo-sensei is so much more subtle? :D Oh! I don't own Ouran either…but I figure you already knew that?_

/0/0/

Chapter Two- The Green

No one was entirely sure how the conversation had taken a turn into uncharted territory.

"And then he would say to me, 'You have to get the cat off of the roof of that building!' I would nod and then start climbing up the side of the building, because the elevators would be out of order!"

"What about the stairs?"

"Those are currently under going construction!"

"Oh…"

Everyone was lost. That much Ichigo was sure of. It had been a simple question, and that simple question certainly should have warranted a simple answer. Somehow, it hadn't turned out the way any of them had expected. Tatsuki might have known; the rest of them were completely unprepared.

"And when I got to the top, I would scream, 'Wait! You can't jump! You're an essential half of NekoKoneko! You can't give up so easily! Everyone loves you just as much as the other cat!'

"'Don't lie to me!' it would cry back!

"I would stretch my arms out and pleadingly say, 'I would never lie to you, kitty cat!'"

Maybe it was his fault for spacing out for five minutes somewhere in the middle of her "answer". He had gotten caught up in the way Chizuru's eyes were practically eating Orihime as she explained how…wait…what was she even talking about? He looked around at his friends, and, judging by their contorted facial expressions, decided that he wasn't the only one wondering how they had gotten to an attempt to save a suicidal cat.

"But…that's how we came up with the idea for that pastry!" the object of everyone's confusion concluded, clapping her hands together and smiling brightly.

Yes, after school let out, their group of friends would make sure that Chizuru avoided asking her any questions that would lead her off into some tangent.

"Right now we're in the process of coming up with new ones, though! It's been about a year since we've had any new additions. I was thinking a combination of watermelon and wasabi, but the chefs are finding it difficult to incorporate it into anything…"

_Even God wouldn't be able to make that taste good, _Ichigo thought, trying to keep up with what she was saying this time.

"How come you moved to Japan?" Rukia chimed in. "Isn't your largest restaurant in Paris?"

"That's true, but headquarters is here in Japan," she replied. "And since I have to run the business myself, I thought it would be more convenient to move here."

"How are you going to run the business and concentrate on school?" Renji asked.

"Well, I've got some help! Luckily for me, they've been working with us way before it was handed down to me. They know the twists and turns of everything. During the holidays I'll be with them. I've even asked them to show me the way things work, so I'll be able to handle it better later."

Renji and Rukia both nodded.

"Oh!" Orihime exclaimed as a musical tone started playing. No one said anything, but they were certain they were hearing "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid. The beauty dug into her bag that she had casually thrown on the floor and pulled out a pink phone that had way too many charms hooked on it. "Moshi, Mo--?"

"_Inoue-san, it's a TRAGEDY! An absolute TRAGEDY!" _a seemingly young girl's voice shouted.

The voice was so loud that Orihime had to pull the phone away from her ear; it was clearly audible to the rest of the people in her group. "W-w-what's wrong?!" her face quickly transformed into one of worry. Ishida had turned around from his book to pay attention to what was going on, the rest the teens as bug-eyed as Orihime as they waited for the voice to reply. "Hinamori-chan?!"

"_Oh! Inoue-san! Rangiku-san was careless again! And Shiro-chan is upset!" _a long pause and a blood chilling scream followed. _"Inoue-san, where's the fire extinguisher?!"_

"The f-fire extinguisher?!"

"_The fire extinguisher!"_

Orihime's eyes moved rapidly back and forth as she tried to remember. "Ah! It's in the cabinet!"

After a long pause, _"Inoue-san, I don't see anything but stacks of paper!" _Everyone could hear soft sobbing on the other line.

"No! Not that one!" she cried frantically. "The cabinet by the window!"

"_O-oh! I see it now!"_ Another ridiculously long pause._ "Thank you, Inoue-san! Try not to worry! The office won't burn down now!"_

Click. Orihime looked at her phone before cutting it off and setting it on her desk. She placed her tiny hands over her face, taking deep breaths. She let out a muffled, "She says, 'Try not worry' after a phone call like that?"

Tatsuki placed her hand on her friend's back. "You okay?"

Orihime removed her hands and, surprisingly, had her normal smile back on. "Yes! I think it'll be fine!"

Renji was hesitant to ask but eventually let out a skeptical, "Tell me that's not the 'experienced help' that you were talking about…"

She glanced at him, "Those are the ones!"

Tatsuki frowned. "You're leaving a timid girl, a lazy woman, and a boy, who's younger than us, mind you, in charge of everything while you're not there?" She had met them before, on more than one occasion.

"Oh, they're not that bad, Tatsuki-chan! Hinamori-chan tries very hard, and can usually keep the peace between Toushirou-kun and Rangiku-san. Rangiku-san is very insightful and gives great advice, even if she doesn't get much work done. And Toushirou-kun, in case you've forgotten, graduated from college, already! He's very smart and capable!" she said defending them.

Her tomboy friend sighed. "If you say so, Orihime…"

There was an awkward silence before Orihime decided to ask a question of her own, "Say… We've been in here for an hour now. Where's the teacher?"

They all looked at each other before Tatsuki replied, "Oh… I guess I forgot to tell you. The instructor is only here on Mondays. She lectures and then gives us our assignments for the rest of the week. And I guess it's about every other week that we get our tests, also given on Mondays. This school works more on an independent study system."

"How unusual!" she glanced around the room and noticed that no one was working, but talking between themselves. "No one seems to be focusing on their assignments though…"

"That's because it's only Wednesday!"

"What's Wednesday have to do with anything?"

"Well," Rukia spoke up. "Most of us just wait until Sunday to work on the stuff. I guess you could say we procrastinate…"

"Except for Ishida," said Ichigo teasingly, finally joining in on the conversation. "He has nothing better to do, except read his book."

Ishida turned further in his chair. "What was that, Kurosaki?"

A small smirk played upon the lips of tangerine-haired boy. "I think you heard me."

Ishida frowned. "And your lack of studying is what lands you in the twenty-third spot instead of the first."

Ichigo waved him off nonchalantly. "Twenty-three, number one…What's the difference?"

"Twenty-two," Ishida answered, matter-of-factly.

"And that," Ichigo said leaning back into his chair, "Is exactly why you don't have many friends. Aren't you glad we put up with dry your personality?"

"Why, you--!" Ishida started before Orihime giggled some.

"Ishida-kun, you're so much more… I can't think of the word!" she smiled at him, before continuing. "You're so much more pleasant out of school!"

He looked at her and smiled back, "That's because I don't have to put up with others ruining your wonderful company, Inoue-san."

"Aha! Ishida-kun is trying to flatter me! Don't do that!" she said with a small blush creeping up on her features.

Immediately three pairs of eyes, belonging to Renji, Rukia, and Tatsuki, found their way to Ichigo's face to watch as the grin he had on his face only seconds ago quickly faded, his eyes narrowing and looking away from two.

Renji and Rukia snorted. "This is too amazing," Renji said.

Ichigo looked at them with a raised eyebrow, "What is?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Rukia replied, a grin plastered on her face.

He was about to respond when his attention was caught once again by Orihime's laughter.

"You're so funny!" she managed to get out in between her laughing.

Ishida smiled again, but the rest of the group grimaced.

Rukia leaned over to Ichigo, blocking her mouth from view and whispered, "Uh…Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"Since when has Ishida ever been funny?"

He frowned. "He hasn't been."

"So…?"

His brown eyes met her violet ones. "Maybe her sense of humor is messed up…"

Rukia backed away from him. "Maybe."

"Hey, Orihime?" Tatsuki interrupted whatever had been so funny.

"Yes, Tatsuki-chan?"

"Did they drop your stuff off in our room?"

"I guess! I don't think they'd let it sit in the lobby!" she said giggling.

She smiled. "You want to get out of here? I can show you around a bit and then we can start unpacking your stuff. I'd rather not stay up until an ungodly hour…"

"Eh? We can just leave?"

She nodded and started putting her things back in her desk, she hadn't even touched her homework. "They give us the option of staying or leaving. You can come in and get help from your peers if you need it, or you can just stay home and work on the assignments yourself."

She looked at her skeptically, before smiling again. "Well… I guess we can go then! I want to see the campus!" She quickly started grabbing her things and stuffing them into the small bag she was carrying. She decided against putting her phone back into her bag; she wanted to keep in handy…just in case.

The two walked up to the door and Tatsuki stopped before exiting. She raised one of her eyebrows and asked, "Any of you coming? It's boring as hell in here today."

Ishida was the first one up, after he gracefully closed the book he had been focused on for the short time period they had been in the classroom. He grabbed his plain, black bag and headed towards the door as well.

Renji looked at Rukia and she shrugged. "I guess we'll go, huh?"

Orihime watched him help her gather her things and couldn't help but release a small giggle. She was amazed at how fast they had forgotten they were quarreling.

The two exited the room first, leaving Ishida standing immediately outside of the door, Orihime and Tatsuki waiting for any other takers.

Ichigo looked at the two girls before turning to look at Chad. "You wanna go?"

Chad shrugged and started standing up slowing. "I guess."

Chad headed for the front of the room, Ichigo following not too far behind.

"ICHIGO! W-Where are you going?!" Keigo piped up from the back of the room, finally realizing that everyone was leaving.

"Where does it look like? Out." he answered simply.

Keigo ran up to his friend only to find a fist crunching against his face that effectively sent him flying back a few feet. It only took him a few moments to recover; you could tell that he was used to this sort of thing. "What was that for?!"

"You think you're coming," he replied. "And you're definitely not. Stay here with Mizuiro."

"What is this?! I thought we were bestest friends! Amigos!"

He patted his friend on the shoulder, "And that's exactly why I want you to stay here."

"What?! That doesn't even make any--!" before he could finish, Ichigo was already exiting the room, Orihime behind him waving, Tatsuki shutting the door. Keigo stood there for a few moments, clearly distraught.

"Hey, Asano-san!" Mizuiro called from the back. "Come here! I got an interesting text!"

"You and your formalities!" he cried as headed back to his previous station.

/0/0/

All was quiet in the hallways except for the sounds of echoing footsteps and quiet chattering. Several pairs of feet were gliding as quietly as they could over the marble floors. Their uniform dark brown shoes, with the exception of two black heels, contrasted against the swirls of a warm grey, forest green, dark blue, golden yellow, and salmon pink, and even more so in the areas brightened by the light that seeped in through windows.

The marble floors blended into to the walls, one side housed the many windows that looked over the green campus, and the other supported quite a few paintings. The majority of them were of landscapes. Waterfalls, fields of flowers, and forests seemed to be the most focused on in that category. A few of these paintings featured people, most of them, Orihime noticed, were old.

She stopped to look at every single one. Her hands were laced behind her back, as she gazed at the pictures as fast as she could so that she wouldn't be left behind. All of them were bundled into one group, with the exception of Ishida, who comfortably kept three feet in between himself and his peers. Orihime glanced at the group and smiled at how close they were. Her mind wandered momentarily over the fact that she hadn't had too many friends back in France, as she was home schooled. Sure, there was Tatsuki-chan, Hinamori-chan, Toushirou-kun, and Rangiku-san, but it wasn't everyday that she had gotten to see them. Then there was her brother… At the thought of him she felt a crushing wave come over her. Her body instantly froze over, even though she was basking in the sunlight coming in from the large windows. Her legs started shaking lightly and she closed her eyes as tightly as her hands were at her sides.

"Oi, Inoue!" she heard someone call from up ahead and her eyes snapped open. Her peers had gotten further away from her when she wasn't looking. The voice had shaken her out of her breakdown and she squinted, trying to figure out who the voice belonged to. He hadn't walked all the way to her, but Ichigo took a few steps away from the group. "You coming?"

She took both of her hands and patted the sides of her face lightly, as if trying to wake herself up. After a couple seconds and a deep breath, her smile came back and she nodded quickly. "Yes! I'm coming, Kurosaki-kun!"

She jogged lightly to the group she hoped one day would consider her one of their friends. They had all stopped to wait for her. When she reached them she came to a graceful stop and took a couple deep breaths. Tatsuki's head popped out from behind Chad's large frame, her face hinting that she was concerned. "What's wrong?"

Orihime waved her hands at her sides immediately. "Nothing! Tatsuki-chan, you know I space out sometimes!"

"Yeah…well…" she mumbled, her narrowed eyes looking over her friend for any signs that she wasn't okay.

"So where are we going first?" she asked, trying to change the subject as fast as she could.

Tatsuki shrugged. Renji glanced over at Rukia before she spoke up, "I guess we could take her to the campus convenience store?"

Ichigo groaned. "Is she ready to meet such weird people?"

Chad spoke quietly, "She handled Chizuru okay…"

Everyone let out an, "Ah." They all nodded their heads as if to agree on that being the first stop.

/0/0/

Orihime wasn't sure how far they had walked. She glanced at her cell phone to see that they'd been walking for about thirty minutes. She redirected her gaze to the rest of their groups to see any signs of exhaustion from them and found none.

She noticed that Ichigo and Rukia were arguing, while Renji was standing in the back, trying to look indifferent, until, of course, he chimed in to take Rukia's side. Tatsuki was in a one-way conversation with Chad, as he didn't reply much. Ishida was walking behind them, a blank look in his eyes.

They walked on a paved path that circled around the campus. There were several fountains, that had been turned off for the season. In the heart of the campus, or at least that's what Orihime assumed it was, was a small pond. A few geese floated lazily on the surface. Orihime found herself inwardly giggling at imagining them complaining about how they had missed the flock to the south.

The sun was shining brightly, as there were nearly no clouds in the sky. It highlighted the morning frost that had settled over the surprisingly green campus. There were several different kinds of trees. The majority of the ones on campus were small things that had already shed most of their leaves, and the trees surrounding the campus were mostly pine trees.

She sighed. She wasn't used to walking so much. The chilly October air hit face and caused to her to bury her nose further into her reapplied blazer she had carried earlier. Even the warm sun and blazer weren't doing much against the fall air. Her face was noticeably pinker, and her eyes watered slightly each time the wind blew.

"A-ano…" she started. All of them turned around to look at her. "How much further do we have to go? We've been walking for so long…"

"We're almost there," Rukia answered, with a small smile. "It's really only two more minutes away, if we keep walking at this pace."

Orihime nodded and decided she waste the rest of the grueling walk probing. "So, you said the people at the store are…um…interesting?"

Ichigo snorted. "Interesting is being too kind."

"What's wrong with them?"

Renji adjusted his bandana. "I don't know if there's really something wrong with them…"

"…but?" Orihime continued.

"But, they're just…" he struggled looking for a word. "…I don't even know."

Orihime lips formed a pout at the lack of answers she was getting.

"You'll just have to meet them. They're good people, I guess," Tatsuki said.

After that the group fell silent until approaching a small building on the border of the forest that surrounded the school. Orihime couldn't help but question why the building had been placed at such an inconvenient location, but moved on quickly as they approached the glass doors.

There was a small sign on the door. It looked like it had had two words on it, but both had been violently scribbled out. She tried to make out the words before Chad opened the door and ushered them all in. As the wave of warm air that hit her face, Orihime smiled and rubbed her hands together to get them warmed up again. She waited until everyone got in before letting her eyes roll over her new surroundings.

The shop was small, indeed. It had only four or five rows that stretched back only about ten feet. The shelves, however, were packed full with textbooks, notebooks, pens, pencils; the works. She was in awe over how good the quality the supplies had been. They even seemed to shine a bit. She also noticed that the shelves closer to the back of the store were stocked with a variety of bright colors, she assumed by the packages that they were candies and other treats. Her eyes wandered over to the abandoned counter and found a small sign that had a poorly drawn black cat on it. The cat had a large speech bubble that stated, "Be Back in Five Minutes!"

Renji looked around impatiently before walking over to the counter and slamming his fist on it. "Oi! Urahara! You here?"

The group promptly began to hear clattering from the room located securely behind the shop's counter. They all stared intently at the door, waiting for whatever atrocity should decide to appear before them. And sure enough, a man stumbled out of the door.

He was wearing a simple black suit and appropriate shoes, but on his head was a green and white striped hat. Blonde hair peeked out from underneath of it. His eyes, however, could not be seen. His mouth was wide with a smile.

"Welcome to Urahara Sho--!" he paused in the middle of his greeting and looked over the adolescents standing in the middle of his shop. "Ah…Kurosaki-san… I wasn't expecting you!" He looked right past the crimson-haired youth over to the orange one with a nervous smile. "What can I get for you?"

Ichigo glared at him and ignored his question. "What did you almost just say? 'Urahara Sho--?' 'Sho' what? Shoten? Is that what you were going to say?" The man was about to reply before Ichigo continued. "You're not supposed to call this your store." His thumb pointed over his shoulder to the defiled sign on the door. "You just run this thing for the school! It doesn't even belong to you!"

The man pulled a fan from the inside of his jacket, opened it up, and waved him off. "You're the only one who cares about that! Your father has never even said anything about it!" He chuckled a bit. "Take a chill-- Ah! Who's this beautiful young lady?" he set his attention on Orihime who embarrassingly set down two packages of candy that had caught her eye.

"I-I'm Inoue Orihime!" she bowed. "It's nice to meet you…?"

"Urahara Kisuke! Manager of the Urahara Sho--!" he stopped at the sight of Ichigo angrily rolling up his sleeve.

"…Urahara-san!" Orihime finished up her previous sentence. She smiled and her eyes glanced nervously over the store, trying to ignore the tension surrounding Ichigo while doing so. "Your shop is very tidy! You do a nice job of keeping it clean!"

With a flick of his fan and an even larger smile, he exclaimed, "How kind of you to notice! Thank you, but I don't do the cleaning around here. I leave that up to my three assistants!"

"Oh?" Orihime questioned, obviously wondering where these assistants were.

He noticed her confusion and called over his shoulder, "Tessai! Ururu! Jinta! We have guests!"

More noise emerged from the back room as a young boy, a girl with droopy eyes, and a taller man appeared from the very same door that had revealed Urahara not more than ten minutes earlier.

"Whatcha want?" the boy asked.

"Inoue-san, these are my helpers. Jinta." He indicated the boy with his fan. "Ururu." She was pointed out in the same manner. "And behind them is Tessai."

"It's very nice to meet you!" Orihime said bowing again. She was sure with all of the bowing she had done that day, her back would be aching later. They all nodded back at her and then looked to Urahara.

"That's it!" he waved his fan at them. "Oh! Except, Tessai, would you mind making some tea for our--?"

"That won't be necessary," Ichigo said quickly. "We're just showing her around. We're not staying."

Urahara's mouth formed a pout. "You're telling me you walked all the way out here just to turn around and leave?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"How dull!" he said with a gasp before he shrugged. "Inoue-san, I hope you'll return to have tea?"

She looked at him, her smile never fading, "Of course, Urahara-san! I'd love to take you up on that offer!" Her eyes wandered back to the candy for a moment before turning her gaze back at the shop manager. "How much for this one?" Her hand pointed to one of the packages she had been holding earlier. It had a cartoon version of the manager plastered on it, with words like "Tasty", "Irresistible", and "Tantalizing" printed all over.

He tapped his chin with his fan in thought. "That one's free!"

"Huh?"

"Well, rather it's on the house," he said with a smile. "Go on. You can have it!"

Her face twisted up quickly. "I couldn't just take it…"

"Ah! But you could, because I'm allowing you to do so!"

She thought for a moment before a look of realization hit her face. "Then Urahara-san will have to let me treat him! I own a few pastry stores. Will you want a few of those?"

"Alright, then!" he said. "I accept your offer!"

Her small hand grabbed the small package and clutched it tightly over her chest. She turned around to see that all of the group were already exiting the building and she bounced lightly over to the door and waved to Urahara. "Thank you!"

He nodded as she closed the door behind her, jogging lightly to catch up with her peers, who walked surprisingly fast.

/0/0/

"Oh, my, Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime exclaimed as she flopped face down on her newly made bed. "I'm so tired!"

And she certainly had a good reason to be! After the visit to the school store, her peers had proceeded to show her the rest of the campus. They started in the dining area, which Orihime couldn't help but gape at. All of the tables and chairs were made of mahogany and the chandeliers on the ceiling gave the spacious room a soothing golden glow. They then journeyed to the athletic center, where they didn't spend too much time. They were there long enough to show Orihime the work-out area and indoor pool, before they left to go back to the school. Ishida and Tatsuki pointed out all of the important facilities such as the school office and library before deciding that that was all she would really need to see, or, at least, at that moment.

After the tour of the school, Tatsuki and Orihime parted from the rest of the group, bidding them farewell, and made their way to the dorm rooms, which were, much to Orihime's dismay, a good distance away from the school. When they got to their room (room 315, to be precise) Orihime was surprised to see that Tatsuki kept it tidy.

They had spent the last four hours sifting through Orihime's things. Tatsuki had immediately started scolding her for bringing too many things. She had several boxes of books, all of them in French, and most of them were cookbooks. In one box, was a large collection of small stuffed animals. And these were the least of their problems, as at least ten boxes were full of Orihime impressively stylish wardrobe. Tatsuki chastised her for bringing more than she would ever need, but Orihime had defended that all of her things were needed to make her feel comfortable at the school.

And here they were, after the many hours unpacking and hanging up clothes, totally and completely exhausted. Orihime had her face buried in the fluffy pillows that had been provided by the school, filtering air through the satin of her pillow cases. Her mind was filled with images of her eventful first day.

Tatsuki was sprawled on her back on the floor next to Orihime, her eyes closed and her breathing deep. "No kidding. I'm going to sleep good tonight."

"Me too! You know… I didn't think Urahara-san and the others were as 'weird' as everyone made them out to be! They seemed pretty normal to me."

"I'll admit that he was on his best behavior today, but once you spend more time around him and his associates, you'll see what they were talking about. They guy's a real character."

Orihime let out a muffled, "Ah."

After a few moments of silence, Orihime rolled over and let her head dangle off of the side of the bed, her hair falling around her face as she looked to her friend. "Ne…Tatsuki-chan?"

Tatsuki opened one of her eyes slightly to look at her. "Hn?"

Orihime looked like the was struggling to say what she was going to. She twiddled her fingers nervously before opening her mouth. "Do you…" she paused again with hesitation. "Do you think that everyone…might be able to consider me a friend one day?"

Tatsuki opened both of her eyes and sat up on her forearms, her face twisted in confusion.

Orihime noticed her expression and decided she'd clarify. "I mean…everyone's known each other for so long… And here I am, coming into this so late… and I was just wondering… if I'll ever be as close…to them as you are… maybe…"

A few more moments of awkward silence passed before Tatsuki laughed and fell back to her previous position. It was Orihime's turn to be confused. "What's so funny…?"

"You are," she replied. She closed her eyes again and continued with a smile. "I don't know what you're talking about. Knowing those guys, they already consider you as part of the group. They usually don't take to people so fast. And Ichigo…"

"What about Kurosaki-kun?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. "Don't worry about stuff like that. The most important thing is that everyone already likes you," She paused again. "Okay?" She turned her face to Orihime, waiting for an answer with closed eyes.

Orihime smiled at her friend. "Alright. Thank you, Tatsuki-chan." She rolled back over onto her pillow. "How about we hit the hay?"

"That's sounding **really** good to me," Tatsuki replied, laughing.

/0/0/

_Aha…for a pointless filler chapter, it turned out way longer than I intended it to be. Chapter Three will be so much better :D_

_Thank you all for the reviews! I really do appreciate them, but you guys are making me nervous with the whole, "I'm adding this to my favorites!" I'll try to live up to you expectations (I'm already so flattered)! Again, I apologize for any spelling mistakes! (I talk too much, huh?)_

_Toodle-oooooo!  
__pee.ess. I still love you all._

_… **I actually have a surprise for you! XD**_

**_Omake in 5...4...3...2..._**


	3. Omake: Before the Phone Call

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Bleach. Scenes similar to this would take place if I did! :D

**Omake- **_**The Events Leading Up to the Phone Call**_

Hinamori Momo was pretty sure that this particular Wednesday was going to be a good one. She had woken up with sun leaking through her windows into her spacious Tokyo apartment. Everything that the light seemed to touch, sparkled as if foreshadowing how perfect her day would be.

The young woman had rolled out of bed to find that her roommate had already departed for work, leaving her bed in disarray, as usual. Her clothes were casually discarded onto the beige carpet and the shower was dripping, signifying that it hadn't been used terribly long ago.

These things didn't bother her, or rather she wouldn't let them. Certainly not on a day like this one! She proceeded to pick up the clothes and toss them into a neat pile in the corner of her roommate's room. After making up her friend's bed, Momo made her way to the kitchen and opened their refrigerator. Pulling out a small cup of yogurt, she walked leisurely to the bathroom and started a shower.

Taking bites of her yogurt in between taking off her pieces of sleepwear, she glanced through her closet to see what would be her attire for the day. She decided on a light pink floral-print skirt that fluttered when you twirled in it and a simple white blouse with a few ruffles on the edges of its long sleeves. She tossed the cup of yogurt and hopped in the tub for a quick shower.

Her small hand reached out from behind the shower curtain to grab a hanging towel, after she had finished cleaning herself. She wrapped it tightly around her and grabbed a ready toothbrush, starting the next part of her morning regimen. While she brushed her teeth, her free hand fumbled around the cabinet and found her round hair brush. She set it down on the sink and rinsed out her mouth. As she exited the bathroom, she grabbed her brush and started to stroke her hair with it.

It only took her another fifteen minutes to put on her outfit, a light coat of make-up, and the small piece of cloth that frequently covered the bun at the back of her head. She checked to make sure everything was turned off, and proceeded to leave the apartment, grabbing a small coat on the way out.

/0/0/

She arrived at a large building in the heart of Shibuya. It usually looked rather dull, but the sun played against the multitude of large windows that covered building, making it look much more shiny and magnificent.

She took a deep breath and entered the building through the revolving doors, readying her smile. As soon as she exited from the spinning portal, at least ten heads automatically turned to face her.

"Good morning, Hinamori-san!" they all greeted, surprisingly at the same time, and in synch.

Her smile widened as she made her way past them all, nodding her head at each of them as by way of acknowledging them. "Good morning, everyone! I trust that you're all working hard?" They nodded their heads rapidly, although she didn't need an answer. The people who worked under _Conte Pastries and Restaurants _liked their bosses so much, that they were eager to please.

She walked a few steps further and entered a glass elevator, feeling slight relief that there was no one else occupying it. She turned on her heels and happily hit the button labeled with the number thirty-five. She waved to the other employees as the doors shut, and the box began to ascend.

She tapped her feet lightly as she waited to reach her destination. Her mind was filled with the many things they needed to accomplish that day, and usually the amount would have bothered her, but on this seemingly perfect day, she felt she was prepared to handle anything that came her way.

With a chime, the elevator reached the appropriate floor and the doors reopened slowly. She almost skipped out and headed down the brightly lit corridor that led to a single door at the end of the hallway. The door was relatively plain, but had an interesting burgundy color to it. Momo's hand reached golden doorknob and she swung it open swiftly.

She was surprised that her happy, "Good Morning!" was met with a yelp and a surprised, "AH!" Her eyes focused to see a buxom blonde on the floor, a newly lit cigarette in her left hand, and an overturned glass of, what she assumed, was liquor.

Momo looked even closer at the glass and its spilled contents to see the liquid dripping off the sides of a large and tidy desk. Several unfortunate documents, had not been lucky enough to miss the tidal wave of liquor. It had taken her a moment to let everything sink in, but after her eyes repeatedly shifted from the desk to the woman, and back to the desk, it hit her…and hard.

"Rangiku-san…tell me… tell me those aren't the papers Shiro-chan had been working on all day yesterday and even after the office had closed up. Tell me…that isn't alcohol spilled all over them…"

Rangiku struggled but finally managed to stand up off the floor. With her free hand she smooth the wrinkles out of her tight fitting pencil skirt and looked over her shoulder to make sure there wasn't anything on her backside. She looked guiltily down at the accident and then back up to the younger woman. After a moment she chuckled nervously and took a puff of her cigarette. "I can't do that, doll! Because those, unfortunately, are indeed the papers he was working on. Even more unfortunately, that is my precious liquor all of them!" She looked worried when Momo's eyes looked like they might've popped right of their sockets. "But don't worry! This isn't a serious issue! Papers can always be replaced!"

"W-What are you saying?!" she replied, her true terror finally coming out in her tone. "Shiro-chan's going to come in here, see this, and single-handedly hang our lifeless bodies in the lobby to make an example out of us!" She walked over to the desk and let her hands hover the paper, not daring to touch them. "How are you going to fix this?!"

"Me? I'm going to fix this?!" she nearly cried. "I'm not fixing anything! I can't! Maybe you shouldn't bust in here, startling people, huh?!"

"No, no, no, no, no!" she shrieked defensively. "I'm not taking the fall for this! You're not supposed to drink or smoke in here! You do enough of that at the apartment! Speaking of the apartment, you really shouldn't leave your clothes lying all over! What if we had surprise guests?!"

"It's definitely not the time to worry about--!"

"Rangiku-san, you need to at least get rid of these papers!"

"Ah! Maybe he won't notice?"

Hinamori nearly snorted. "Of course he'll notice, but at least this way it will take him longer to do so!"

Rangiku nodded and tucked her burning tobacco into a corner of her mouth. Rolling up the sleeves of her shirt, she placed her hands on the soppy mess and balled it into one giant wad. Hinamori covered her nose to try to block some of the stench that wafted into her nose. Rangiku tip-toed over to the small office trash can and stuffed the papers in it as far as she could push them down.

"There! See? Everything's good now!"

"Noooooo! It's NOT! You need to get to work on replacing those!"

Rangiku groaned. "Are you sure you can't just do it? They'll have fewer mistakes!" she asked the question knowing full well what the answer would be.

"I most certainly will not do your work for you this time! Now get busy!" she said in a soft hiss.

Rangiku grudgingly made her way to her own desk and pulled her keyboard out and began to type, with obvious laziness. Hinamori nodded to herself in victory and turned to find a stack of paper towels. She grabbed a couple and began wiping the leftover residue on the desk. After a few moments, and a couple of paper towels, she had successfully gotten it all up.

She sighed and looked out the window. The sun was still shining as brightly as it was when she had first arrived at work, but now, she could swear she saw a dark grey cloud hovering menacingly over the horizon. Wasn't this supposed to be a--

The door slammed open and a young male stormed in. He had a briefcase slung over his shoulder, and a scowl on his face that could scare even the toughest street thug. His white locks blew back as he walked in; his stormy blue eyes looked the office over. Hinamori quickly hid the soiled paper towels behind her back, and walked backwards towards the trash can. "Ah…er…Good morning, Shiro-chan!"

He grunted at her before realizing what she had called him. "Didn't I say 'don't call me that'?!"

She could resist but to show an awkward smile. "Ah…but it's so cute."

He started to walk over to his desk with a grumpy, "Exactly."

Hinamori's eyes widened and Rangiku had already turned her chair to watch Toushirou tossing his briefcase on the desk carelessly. His eyes narrowed when he realized they were staring at him. "Can I help you two?" he asked.

Rangiku shook her head and turned around to resume her task. Hinamori had discretely discarded the final pieces of evidence and sighed inwardly that they had more time to think of the best way to grovel at his feet.

Much to her horror, and Rangiku's dismay, the boy had begun sniffing, turning his head in various directions to identify the scent surrounding his desk. As he stumbled upon the answer, his scowl deepened and he turned to look at Rangiku.

"Matsumoto?" he called for her, trying to hide the growing rage from his tone.

"Hn?" she acknowledged she had heard him without turning around.

Annoyed that she hadn't even bothered to look at him, he continued. "I do believe I gave you a set of rules that should be followed in this office. Inoue-san even signed off on them, meaning even the highest ranking person expects the rules to be followed, correct?"

"Sure."

"So…why is it that I smell liquor on my desk? Why would I smell that, when rule number fifteen clearly states that one should not consume alcohol or smoke on the premises?" he paused to show her that he had, indeed, noticed the small line of smoke rising from her hidden hand. "Am I just going crazy or what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, Hitsugaya-kun, but I do know that we have a lot of work to be--!"

"Oh, don't give me that! When do you work? The correct answer is: never!"

Hinamori jumped into the conversation, speaking softly, "Ah…Shiro-kun, that's not fair. While it's so little and so far in between, Rangiku-san does occasionally partake in helping with the work load." She looked over to her roommate. "And Rangiku-san, it's rude to not look at someone when they're addressing you…"

"He can handle it!" the woman turned around in her chair finally. She tipped her head to one side and took another taunting puff of her cigarette. "Isn't that right, Hi-tsu-ga-ya-kun?"

Hinamori swore she saw a vein bulging in his left temple as his scowl deepened. He decided to ignore the last two statements and flopped angrily down in his chair. He started looking through his drawers, his nose covered with his arm.

Rangiku smiled and slowly rose from her comfortable spot. She walked over to him slowly, and, upon reaching him, wrapped her arms around him, her large breasts pressing against his face. "Are you going to forgive me?" she asked innocently.

He sighed. "Not until you get off of me. I have stuff to do. Hinamori?"

She jumped at the sound of her name. "Y-yes?"

"Where are those papers I worked on yesterday? They need to be faxed by noon, and I'd rather not wait until the last minute. I could have sworn I left them on my desk…"

Momo tried smiling but found all her mouth could do was twitch in resistance to her cover-up. His face contorted in confusion as the younger woman burst out into uncontrollable and noticeably nervous laugher. "Is there something funny?"

She paused in her laughter. "I-I don't know. You should probably ask Rangiku-san!"

He turned his head to the woman and looked into her eyes, as if expecting the answer to be there. She quickly broke the contact of their eyes and their bodies. And turned to face away with him, pretending to have seen something interesting out the window.

"Matsumoto…?" he questioned.

Rangiku began to release her own series of nervous chuckles before turning to look at Hinamori. "I should probably just tell him, huh?" Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed. "I mean…what the worst that could happen?"

_He could kill us, _her mind frantically answered the question. She decided immediately that she needed to get out of the room. Normally, she would try and stay to stop Hitsugaya and Matsumoto's fighting but today was just one of those days where she knew her pleas would fall on deaf ears. She discretely started inching towards the door. "Well you kind of have to tell him now, Rangiku-san."

Matsumoto turned to the younger boy and rolled back and forth on her feet. "Well you see… I came in here with a nice, large bottle of liquor today! My favorite kind, you know?"

"Cut the crap and just spit it out," he interjected viciously.

Rangiku took a deep breath and spit the words out as fast as she could, "I was sitting in here, minding my own business. Enjoying my alcohol, and BAM! Hinamori busts into the room, scaring me! So, I accidentally dropped my glass of liquor all over those papers. They're in a wad in the trash can." She immediately took off to seek the protection of her desk.

Hitsugaya looked from Hinamori, who was still moving slowly towards the door, and Rangiku, whose eyes and top of her head were the only things visible, as she had ducked behind her desk. He looked over to the trash can, and although he could not see it's contents, he imagined his precious documents, carelessly balled up and sopping wet.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I heard you correctly, Matsumoto," he said with a tone that brought chills to the spines of the young women. "I though you said you spilled liquor on my papers, but I think my ears are playing tricks on me. Where are the papers?" He looked to Hinamori.

She nervously pointed a small finger to the trash can. He turned to face to source of the problem. She tilted her head in the direction of the trash can to answer that, yes, the papers currently resided there.

The events that followed within the next thirty seconds went by fast. Hitsugaya, with surprising speed had found his way to Rangiku's desk and attempted to tackle her. She, with equally surprising speed, took off in the opposite direction.

Hinamori watched as they did the for a few minutes, and after the sound of a shattering decoration, began dumping the contents of her handbag on the floor and finding her simple black cell phone. She pressed one button, seemingly having the receiver of the phone call on speed dial, and waited for someone to pick it up.

After a few moments, Hinamori promptly began screaming into the phone. "Inoue-san! It's a TRAGEDY! An absolute TRAGEDY!"

Her attention turned to see Hitsugaya catching up with the blonde and successfully tackling her to the ground. "Oh! Inoue-san! Rangiku-san was careless again! And Shiro-chan's upset!" Hinamori's eyes watched at the burning stick of tobacco flew from Rangiku's hand, and, conveniently, into the trash can. Not five seconds later the trash can burst into a large flame, causing Rangiku to let out a startled scream. Hinamori watched in horror as the fire towered high enough to reach the sheer curtains that served no other purpose but being something pretty in the office. Her throat felt dry but she managed to let out a terrified, "Inoue-san, where's the fire extinguisher?!" a pause. "The fire extinguisher!"

After a few moments of listening, Momo darted for a cabinet in the corner of the office and opened it quickly. "Inoue-san, I don't see anything but stacks of paper!" This was all she could take as tears started rolling down her cheeks. She let out a few small sobs before she looked towards the window.

She sped towards a different cabinet that was comfortably to the right of the large window and nearly tore its doors off to open it. "O-oh! I see it now!" Like some angel sent from above, the fire extinguisher seemed to have a light shining down on it. She grabbed it and tossed it to Hitsugaya, whose arms were ready for it.

He quickly followed the directions labeled on the metal container and sprayed a fine amount of white foam at the disaster area. It didn't take long for him to cover up all of the flames, and once he finished he fell onto his back on the floor, breathing heavily. Matsumoto was already in the chair at her desk, fanning herself with a manila folder.

Hinamori smiled slightly and wiped her tears with her free hand. She turned her attention back to her phone and with an almost too cheerful voice, said, "Thank you, Inoue-san! Try not to worry! The office won't burn down now!" She ended the phone call and walked over to Hitsugaya. She took a seat and then laid down next him.

"Rangiku-san?" she called to the other woman.

"Yeah?"

"It's ten-forty. Those papers need to be faxed. You should get back to work."

A groan was all she heard before the sound of typing echoed in the office.

_/0/0/_

_Aha…why did I write this? I don't know, but perhaps I should be working on the actual storyline, hm? :D_

_I are s00per excited to get to write all of the ideas I have. Hopefully it won't take me long to get up to that point, because I'm kind of ready to write it now! Oh wellz…the chapters that come before them will be just as much fun, yeah?_

_I'll see you in a week, maybe? I'll try to squeeze in some writing into my not-so-busy-but-still-kind-of-busy schedule! :D_

_Bye bye!_


	4. Roach: Part One

_It's good to see you again, Reader-sama!_

_Well, you should have guessed by now that I'm a chatter bug, and I'll probably have useless little notes at the beginning of the chapter to give you information you probably don't give a damn about! XD Feel free to just scroll down and skip this. I promise you won't be missing much._

_So, I've started school Reader-sama. I'm one of the few seniors that are staying the entire day. All of my other good friends leave after fifth period because they either (1) attend an afternoon college class, (2) have a job, or (3) lied to the school saying they either had to go to college or work. I'm not mad about staying all day, though. I just hardly get to see my besties. It makes me a little sad._

_Ah! I brought up school to tell you that even though school has started, updates won't be delayed. I don't know how I've made it this far in school (while even getting good grades in honors and AP classes) , but I rarely do homework. I'm not sure how, but I've always gotten the assignments done at school? Maybe during the first five minutes when class starts? I've got bad habits when it comes to school. I slack off until report cards are about to come out, and then I turn in every missing assignment, landing a pretty good grade. I have a feeling that Probability and Statistics is going to kill me. Reader-sama, why am I still taking high level math courses? Trigonometry killed my GPA last year (:sniffles: 3.2?!) and I've always been really awful at math. You know what…now that I think about it…I didn't even have to take a math course this year. Damn it._

_Moving on here, I've got everything mapped out, and there will only be about three or four (maybe even more than that! I haz so many ideas!) more chapters before we get into plot (I've got characters to introduce, you know!). I'm stoked, are you? :D_

_Here's (a much-better-as-promised) Chapter three! Enjoy, Reader-sama!_

_The Girl Who Talks Too Much,_

_Spring-san_

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Bleach we'd have a romance story as mushy as Romeo and Juliet! Who wants that besides me? No one? Then I guess Kubo's your guy! :D

**Chapter Three- **_**Roach**_

The pleasant melody that signified that the end of the school day was nearing its end sang throughout the hallways of the school, causing many of the students let out sighs of relief that the day was over. Mondays always seemed to be the most tedious of the entire week. Most teachers expected you to be paying total attention, and there was no room for goofing off at all. Everyone started picking up their supplies and tucking them away in their desks for their much, much later use.

Their teacher turned around and looked at her students, disappointment written all over countenance. Her right hand was still connected to the white boards in front of her by a black dry erase marker; her left was balancing the book that gave her the information to write. She had made good use of her time that particular Monday. She had came in thirty minutes before class even started and written general information on the board, and here she was, the very last minutes of the day, still adding the fine details.

Her mouth formed a small pout. "I didn't even get to finish!" she complained to her students. They were just as displeased as she was, but for totally different reasons. They all wondered how they could be lucky enough to get the only teacher (according to the chatter of other students around the school) who overworked her class. Group 1-3 could usually get away with waiting until the last minute to complete their assignments, but judging by the amount of information they had been given that day, they knew that the work for this week would take much longer.

She huffed and then turned her attention to an agenda on her desk, setting the marker and book in her chair. The agenda looked like it had originally been rather small, but the amount of extra pieces of paper that had been jammed here and there stretched it considerably. She flipped through it carefully, trying to prevent any of the extra papers from escaping. Her eyes roamed quickly over a certain page before she looked up at her students. "Okay, ladies and gentleman! I hope you're ready. I'm going to read your assignments off to you now!" She paused to let some of her groaning students reach back into their desks to find a piece of scrap paper to take notes on. After the fumbling stopped in the room, she continued, "Alright. English. You'll be working in the student workbook; page twenty-three, problems one through fifty. French. Still in the workbook, pages eighteen through twenty, translate those three stories." She looked around to make sure everyone was scribbling something down. "Calculus! In the textbook, do numbers fifty to seventy-five, on page two-hundred, thirty. History… you don't have an assignment." Silent cheers commenced in the back of the room. "And…chemistry. Just read over the procedures for the experiment we'll be conducting on Monday. They're on that handout I gave to you about an hour ago. You might want to look over that piece of literature we looked at last week, as we'll be discussing it next week."

After a few moments, all of the heads returned their gaze to their teacher, having finished their note taking. She smiled at their obedience. She came from a middle-class family so when she started working at the school five years ago, stereotyping led her to believe that the students would be extremely spoiled with awful dispositions, but she had been fortunate to get a respectful group of disciples. "I think that's all for today." She looked at the ornate clock on the wall. "The second bell should be ringing soon. Are there anymore questions?"

Ishida raised his hand and spoke quickly, "Ochi-sensei, when can we expect a test on this material?"

She tapped her chin with her left index finger in thought and replied, "I think I can squeeze a test for English and French before we complete the laboratory assignment next week." She nodded her head and grabbed a pen from her pant suit's pocket, flipped a couple of pages in her agenda, and scribbled down a few words for the upcoming Monday. "So, I think that's what I'll do! I'll probably have a test for the other subjects in two weeks." Unbeknownst to Ishida, his peers were shooting daggers at him from the back for even asking. She closed her agenda. "Speaking of tests, you remember the test you took two weeks ago? Of course you do! Your results and rankings, along with the rest of the First-Years', are listed in the main lobby…that is if you care to know how you did!"

She glanced at the clock once more. "I gotta split, guys, before you all start blocking the doors that'll get me out of the building! Have a good week, and work hard! Oh, and Asano, I'd appreciate if you didn't fill in random answers, because you waited until the last minute and ran out of time to do the assignment properly." He sank into his chair. "I'll see you all later!" she grabbed her coat that was hanging on the back of the chair, stuffed her agenda into a small black bag, and darted for the door, letting out a rushed, "Goodbye!" before vanishing into the corridor.

Not two seconds later, Chizuru was wrapped firmly around Orihime's shoulders, rubbing her cheek against her own. "Orihime-chan! Let's hang out tonight! My roommate's going out! We could have so much fun! I have some candy and other--OW! OW! OW!"

Tatsuki had a firm grip on the peculiar girl's earlobe and was pulling it viciously. "Get off of her, you lesbian!" she shouted angrily, as the other girl released Orihime. "You sound like some pervert trying to lure children off of the street! I don't know why we have to go through this everyday!"

"I don't either!" Chizuru shot back, freeing herself from the tomboy's grasp.

Orihime smiled nervously at the two and stood from her desk, which was to the immediate right of Ishida's. "Hey, now…let's not fight, okay?"

Chizuru looked at Orihime with sparkling eyes. "You're so kind! So feminine and graceful! Unlike a certain someone!" Her dreamy eyes quickly turned to glaring ones as she faced Tatsuki once more. "Maybe you should try and let Orihime-chan rub off on you! You could use it!"

"Oh, shut up! If I gave a damn about being feminine I would have paid more attention in etiquette school! Now get back to the bridge you crawled out from under, you troll!"

Chizuru was about to retort before a second chime rang through the school. "Ah! Time to go!" she said, quickly grabbing her things and dashing out the door, even faster than their teacher had moments ago.

Tatsuki rubbed her hands together as if she just finished some heavy-duty task and frowned. "Stupid."

Orihime smiled at her friend in an attempt to lighten her mood, "Tatsuki-chan! Let's go look at the test results! I'm eager to see how everyone did!"

Tatsuki's expression softened and she nodded. "Alright. Let's go before it gets crowded down there." Tatsuki walked out of the door, and as Orihime made way to follow her out, she heard someone call her.

"Inoue!" Ichigo said standing from his desk. She turned around to see him grabbing his bag and heading towards her.

"Yes, Kurosaki-kun?"

"You and Tatsuki are going to look at the test results, right?" She nodded. "I figure I might as well go with you two."

She smiled and started exiting the room, Ichigo not terribly far behind her. The two of them caught up to Tatsuki who had stopped in the hallway, tapping her foot impatiently. "Let me know if you're just going to disappear on me! I'm walking and having a conversation with air, until I realize you're not even here!"

"Sorry, Tatsuki-chan! Kurosaki-kun said he was going to walk with us!"

"Oh? Didn't feel like waiting for Renji and Rukia? Or Chad?" Tatsuki said with a smirk.

"Obviously."

"And you want to talk about Ishida being dull," she mumbled under her breath.

"Come on! Let's go!" Orihime said grabbing her best friend's hand and dragging her as she practically skipped down the hallway. Ichigo increased his pace to keep up with them.

Orihime had been attending the academy for a month and a half at this point. It had only taken her two days to acquaint herself with the building and all of its surrounding facilities and an even shorter amount of time to be fully accepted by the group that she now called her friends. She had no problem fitting in and was even donning her new uniform of bronze that the rest of the people in her year wore; The Second-Years and Third-Years wore silver and gold uniforms, respectively.

She was pleased when Renji and Rukia had a long conversation with her on her second day. They talked about nearly everything. Rukia filled in the missing blanks of information Orihime wanted to know about her family, going into details about her older brother (who was currently heading the family business and an was important member in an even bigger company) and his wife. She went as far as to start back at age seven, explaining how she had met Renji and how two years later, she met Ichigo. Renji didn't have much to say about himself. He simply went on about a few of the cars his family was going to be putting out in the spring. After they were finished talking about themselves, Rukia had asked her about her life and past. Orihime was happy to tell her everything, but stopped her story at her life from a year ago, not daring to venture any further than that.

Orihime and Chad had a mutual interest in all things cute. She was pleasantly surprised when he had struck up conversation with her after he spotted a magazine she had brought to help her pass the time in the uneventful classroom. It featured a new line plush animals inspired by the story of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. From there, they had somehow gotten on the subject of his involvement with a band, while she expressed that she definitely wanted to see them perform sometime.

She was already familiar with Ishida, but the two hadn't talked much the first time she met him. Now, every other day Ishida would run into the room to talk to her about a new clothing design he had been working on. She would add suggestions here and there, but overall she loved all of them. She had never really mentioned it to anyone before, but about a third of her closet consisted of clothes that Ishida designed and had made for her. After she had met him in July, he would frequently send her gifts of packaged fashion. She felt guilty for accepting all of them, but she would never complain about actually having them. The clothes he gave her were the ones she liked best, and she could rarely find anything else that could fit her so well. She passed up several offers from designers from Italy (they called her telling her that she must desperate for good clothing since she had arrived in Japan) who wanted to sell her items that hadn't even been put on the runway. She politely turned them down, telling them that she had found perfectly good clothes where she was. Most clothes that were expected to hit the runway weren't her cup of tea anyway.

The one person whom Orihime couldn't get a decent conversation out of was Ichigo. She had tried asking him about what kind of hobbies he had, what he was planning on doing in the future, ANYTHING. Much to her dismay, his answers, while polite, were short and quick to the point, leaving no room to expand it further in the conversation. This was fine with her, though. Something about his presence put her at ease, despite the scowling face he so diligently kept up. During their group's many conversations he would occasionally jump into to make jabs at Ishida or accidentally fire up an argument between himself and Rukia, but he never contributed much.

All in all, she could honestly say that this was the happiest she had been within the past seven months. After the incident in April, she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to move on from the crushing weight of what had happened. Two months later, Tatsuki had made her annual appearance in France; She had wanted to get there sooner, but couldn't because of her father's busy schedule (he knew his daughter was tough, but would never let her fly out of the country on her own). The night of her arrival Orihime had buried her face into her friend's lap and cried until she had no more tears to shed. After that night, she hadn't cried at all about the incident. In fact, she decided that if she smiled things would definitely be better. Tatsuki suggested to her that she move back to Japan (she hadn't lived there since she was three) and attend the same private school as she did. Orihime thought it over for a quick hour and decided she'd do it. It was much better than staying alone in her flat in Paris.

And here she was, walking down the hallway with her best friend and one of her many new friends. The three approached the lobby to see a fair amount of students gazing up at large white posters high on the wall, some of them pointing to show their friends how they had did.

Orihime nervously made her way up to the poster that listed her class's test scores, looked up, and squinted her eyes in search of her name. She frowned after a minute and turned to Tatsuki. "Tatsuki-chan, I can't see my name!"

Tatsuki walked over to her and looked up at the poster in the same manner Orihime had done seconds before. "I don't… oh! There you are!" she pointed up at it.

"Where?"

"Number three, it says. Look," she said, pointing still.

Sure enough, "3 - Inoue Orihime, Group 1-3, Score: 887" was printed near the top, immediately under Ishida Uryuu and Kunieda Ryo.

Tatsuki nudged her in her ribs with a firm elbow, a proud smirk plastered on her face. "So you're still getting really good grades, huh? I guess all of that special tutoring you got back in France really pays off here…"

Orihime's hand reached her ribs and rubbed at them tenderly, a smile trying to disguise just how painful Tatsuki's playful gesture had been. "That's not true, Tatsuki-chan! I studied really hard for that test and still found a few of the problems difficult to solve!"

"If you say so, but you've always been really smart!"

As the girls chattered away, Ichigo made his way to stand behind them, not quite believing what his ears were picking up. Inoue? Really? We were still talking about the spaz-tastic girl who often got so lost in her imagination that it was dangerous, right? Ichigo's eyes found her score and his eyebrows lifted considerably. "You're smarter than you let on, Inoue," he muttered slightly.

Her face scrunched up in worry. "Do I give off an impression that I'm not?"

His head turned away from her and he started looking for his own score, giving Orihime nothing but a quick, "No." His eyes rolled over the sign looking for his own test results, and when he found them, he let out a frustrated groan.

"Twenty-three again, Kurosaki?" a smug Ishida taunted as he approached his classmates. "Unimpressive as always…"

Ichigo clicked his teeth in obvious annoyance. "I don't recall asking for your opinion." He paused, trying his hardest to think of something witty to say, but his mouth only managed to produce, "At least I make it out of my dorm to see the light of day, instead of studying my life away."

"And it appears as if it's doing you no good…" he retorted haughtily before turning his softened gaze upon Orihime. "Inoue-san, I heard you placed well for your first test. What ranking did you receive?"

"Third!" Orihime said with a bright smile. "I'm really surprised!"

"That's impressive Inoue-san!" he said, a small smile playing upon his features. "What method did you use to study? I might have to borrow a couple of your techniques."

The two began to talk away about the various ways she managed to learn all of the material, mentioning things like flashcards, mnemonic devices, and practice tests that resided in the back of the text books. They unknowingly began drifting away from Tatsuki and Ichigo, to move closer to the poster to see their results closer up. Tatsuki looked up at Ichigo, who was practically fuming from his encounter with his four-eyed friend. After a couple of seconds of gazing at him, she turned her head to watch Ishida and Orihime, her eyes gaining a look of pity.

"I almost feel sorry for him."

Ichigo's head tilted down to look at his raven-haired friend. "Who?"

"Ishida…"

Ichigo's face contorted quickly in confusion. "Why?"

Her eyes met his and she paused before hesitatingly speaking. "I think the poor guy has probably developed some sort of feelings for Orihime. You've seen it, right?"

Ichigo shrugged, his eyes tearing away from her own. "I don't know. I guess." He paused and observed the way they were talking. Her smile was so big that her cheeks nearly pushed her eyes closed, and Ichigo had never seen Ishida with the expression he held. "What's the problem? It looks like she feels the same way, right?"

"No."

"No?"

"No," Tatsuki repeated. "We've known Ishida for what, five years now? For as long as we've known him, he's been something of an outcast. He was a little too smart for his own good and he carried an arrogant air about him to boot! Up until we finally forced him into our group, he talked to no one. And while we eventually accepted him as a part of the gang, not one of us, or anyone else he's met, has ever treated him like **she** has. I think those acts of kindness got him, and that's the base he's built his feelings for her on.

"But… I'm sure Orihime doesn't harbor the same feelings for him. She's always been that sweet, smiling figure for the eight years I've known her. To be blunt, she's treating him like she would treat anyone else. She treats me, Rukia, Chad, and Renji all the same exact way, but we view that kindness differently, because, I assume, we've all experienced it before. Ishida hasn't. Romantic feelings tend to make us feel like we're being treated differently." She smirked and punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Not that you'd know, right?"

Her tangerine-haired friend looked down on her with narrowed eyes. "And here I thought you were sounding insightful for once!"

"For once?! Who're you kidding?" she asked defensively. "I've been nothing but a pool of knowledge for as long as I've lived."

"Yeah, sure," Ichigo said as he turned his head to reexamine the test scores, smirking slightly. "And what rank are you, again?"

"First of all, that has nothing to do with this. Second of all, you're sounding just like Ishida!"

"Don't even go there," Ichigo nearly hissed. "I am nothing like Ishida!"

"And what would be so wrong with being like me?" a voice said. The two turned their heads to see that Ishida was nearing them; Orihime was still a good distance away from them, talking to a few of their other classmates. Ichigo and Tatsuki looked at each other and then back at Ishida, Ichigo listing off the reasons and Tatsuki keeping count on her fingers.

Orihime waved goodbye to the friends she had been talking to and was about to rejoin her three friends before she heard a rather intimidating voice behind her to ask, "I'm sorry, but are you Inoue Orihime?" Orihime felt a small chill run down her spine as she turned to view just who had spoken the query.

The person in question was a tall female who was sporting a pressed silver uniform. Her eyes and hair were both a light brown and very close in color. Her hair was in a plain style; straight and shoulder-length, the front parted to the right side. Average body shape and complexion only sealed the deal of her normality. Yes, everything checked out to be okay, Orihime noted, except for her piercing eyes. Despite their plain color, they stung Orihime under their gaze. They angled up towards her temples on the outer corners and her pupils were slightly narrowed, causing her eyes to resemble a cats.

Orihime swallowed the moisture that had been accumulating in her mouth and reluctantly spoke to the girl. "Y-yes. I'm Inoue Orihime." The answer caused the girl to smirk, and her eyes began to skim over Orihime's attractive frame. After a few uncomfortable moments, Orihime spoke again. "May I ask why you wanted to know?"

The girl began to snickering with a hand placed over her mouth. She did so only for a couple of seconds before noticing Orihime's confused expression. "You'll have to forgive me, Inoue-san. It's just that, with the way everyone talks about you, I was expecting some impressively beautiful being to be standing in front of me! You're just a tiny little thing with big, innocent eyes! Not very attractive at all! I was expecting a cunning seductress, with the way people talk of you capturing their hearts and all. A small part of me is relieved, but I should have known not to worry over the exaggerated talk of the school, you know?"

_Huh…?_

"Or maybe…" she began with a look that suggested she was thinking carefully, "…you're just a very, very good actress." She clapped her hands together. "That's got to be it! I'm sure under this little disguise is your true nature." She leaned into Orihime's face and traced a cold finger over her jaw line. "Inoue-san has got to be a pretentious little snake underneath this innocence. Don't try to deny! I can practically see into your soul, you know!" She smiled. "You do so enjoy the attention you're getting around the school, right? I mean…who wouldn't?! The way people go on and on about your looks, and your sweet nature, and your intelligence, there's no way you wouldn't be soaking that up!"

_What…?_

"This humble act that you've got going on is really working for you, though. That much I'll give you. It helps when you want people to really insist that you're the best thing since sliced bread!" Orihime winced and how fast her smile faded and her expression transformed into one of annoyance, her eyes displaying hate. "…but… I really, really dislike tricky little people like yourself. It's one thing to be a mean person and own up to it, but tiny foxes like yourself sneak your way to the throne under false pretenses." She paused and gasped as she looked at a grand clock on the wall. "I've got to get going!" She turned away from the young First-Year with a reapplied smile. "Oh!" she looked over her shoulder back to the very confused Orihime. "You should be careful, Inoue-san! With the way things are going, you're going to earn yourself a fair amount of enemies! Bye-bye!" She turned around and walked briskly away from Orihime, disappearing into the ever-present sea of students.

Orihime knew her mouth was wide-open. How could it not be after something totally random like that happened to her? This was certainly something she wasn't used to. Having never been to a real school or submerged into a variety of different kinds of people, she had never experienced anything quite like this. And though her mind told her not to stress over it, her heart was hurting that someone could ever view her as something other than what she was.

"Orihime?"

Orihime glanced out of the side of her eye to see Tatsuki, with Ishida and Ichigo following and bickering behind her, making their way to her side.

Tatsuki's face was crumpled in puzzlement. "Are you ready to head back to the dorm? Why are you just standing there?"

Orihime acted quickly, blinking back her approaching tears and pasting a forced smile on her face. "Ah! Yes! Sorry! I zoned out for a moment there!"

Tatsuki exhaled loudly and grabbed her friend by the forearm. "C'mon, Orihime. We've got plenty of work to accomplish don't you think?"

"Yes…"

As the two girls walked past the two boys, Tatsuki waving at them, Ichigo couldn't help but to detect something strange about the way Orihime's eyes were sorrowfully glued to the marble floor. It was a quick observation, though. The girls walked away faster than he wanted, Tatsuki complaining to Orihime about the amount of homework they had to complete in a week's time.

/0/0/

_Comments for this chapter in Roach: Part Two. Onward, ho!_


	5. Roach: Part Two

**Chapter Three Continued; ****_Roach: Part Two_**

/0/0/

"You're not looking so good, Orihime," Tatsuki observed as she and her best friend strolled down the elegant corridors of the school. They were running about a half an hour late for class, but they were in no rush as it was only Thursday. "You sleeping okay?"

"Yes," she replied, trying her best to smile. Okay, that was definitely a lie. Orihime knew she looked like crap, and she knew it was from her lack of sleeping, but she couldn't help it, really. Images of the hateful girl from days ago haunted her just when she was starting to fall sleep, and its effects were showing. The area of skin underneath her eyes had taken a darker shade, while her eyes, themselves, had lost their usual brightness. Her complexion was much paler and her hair had lost its vibrant color. It was like a cloud of grey had washed over her. It had gotten to the point where she even considered putting on make-up, something she only wore on special occasions, to hide the unhealthy-look tone of her face, but the small amount her remaining energy wasn't enough to motivate her to do so. Through all of this, Orihime had made a silent vow to not trouble her friends with such a silly problem. Knowing them, or Tatsuki rather, she figured the poor Second-Year would find her face bruised and battered, because, despite the face that Orihime had already forgiven her for her words, hot-headed Tatsuki wouldn't excuse her behavior so easily. "The calculus homework is straining a bit on me, but I'm going to make it! It's the last assignment I have to finish. I think I'll work on that today!"

Tatsuki had been feeling more and more skeptical about these answers she had been receiving from Orihime, and even though she had known the girl for several years, Tatsuki found it difficult to spot when she was hiding something. And if she was now, it certainly wouldn't be the first time. There were many occasions on which something had been wrong with the poor girl and she chose to cover it up for the wellbeing of others. She thought back to the time where she and Orihime had visited a popular amusement park one summer. They had been running to get into the line for rollercoaster and Orihime had tripped and fallen. Tatsuki had worried because it took her longer than it should have to get off the pavement, but Orihime had told her she was fine. It wasn't until they were on their way home, four hours later, in a sleek black car that the auburn beauty took off one of her shoes to reveal a disturbingly swollen and bruised foot. She tried laughing it off when Tatsuki's mouth had fallen wide open, but she had an abundance of tears flowing from her eyes. Tatsuki told the driver of the vehicle to take them to the nearest hospital. It took all of Tatsuki's being to not strangle the girl when the doctors told the two that she had received a hairline fracture in her foot and had made it much worse by not treating it immediately. Orihime had smiled at Tatsuki as brightly as she could and apologized to her, saying that she didn't want to ruin the fun day the two were supposed to have had.

The tomboy sighed heavily at the memory and shook her head, much to Orihime's confusion. "I really don't know what I'm going to do with you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked with her mouth forming a small pout.

They reached the doors of their classroom. "Don't worry about it," she said as she pushed one of the doors open. The two entered, mostly unnoticed as most of the students were bustling around, trying to get as many answers for their assignments as possible. The two girls strolled over to their friends. Chad was working in his English workbook, with very flustered Rukia, Renji, and Ichigo arguing over a passage of French in front of him. Ishida was in his usual spot, reading a new book.

"Ah! Perfect timing, Inoue!" Renji called to the girl as soon as he spotted her. "We need you to settle something for us."

Orihime nodded and walked over to the three, pulling up a chair so that she could sit and examine what they were looking at.

"We're having a bit of a disagreement on what the right translation is for this sentence," Rukia said, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed. Renji pointed the sentence out and Orihime leaned her head to look at it.

"Now, I say," Ichigo started, "That it says: There were many times where Marie felt irrational fear, and this was certainly one of those times."

Rukia snorted before speaking, "I've determined that it reads: Marie wasn't sure how many times she had felt irrational fear, but this time she had a justified reason for feeling such terror."

Orihime looked to Renji for his take on the sentence. He looked down at his notebook and read from it, "I got: This was one of the few times that Marie had felt such undeniable fear, but her false assumptions led her to such an irrational feeling."

Orihime smiled at how different their translations had come out and looked down at the sentence once more before looking at the three. "Well," she started, their gazes intensified as they waited to find out who had got it right. "You all came up with good translations, but only one of you is correct!"

"Spit it out, already!" Renji grumbled impatiently.

She giggled slightly before saying, "Kuchiki-san's the one with the right translation!"

Rukia jumped out of her chair and wasted no time getting to her gloating, elated that she had successfully proven them wrong, as she usually did. Renji's fist hit the desk in frustration and Ichigo buried his head in his arms in an attempt to block out of Rukia's variations of "I told you so!"

Orihime got up out of the chair and pushed it back to its original spot. She headed to her own desk and sat to the right of Ishida. Alright, Calculus! she thought, determinedly. Let's do this! Her arms reached in to her desk in search of her notebook and textbook, but stumbled upon the newfound emptiness her desk was currently experiencing. She scooted back in her chair and bent over to look in her desk, finding that all of her possessions were missing. It took everything in her not to gasp in horror at her discovery. She shot up and looked around worriedly. Tatsuki hadn't missed her expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked, hurriedly.

Orihime whipped around to meet her friends eyes before forcing a smile. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

Tatsuki growled in frustration. She was certain something was wrong. "Are you sure?!"

Orihime nodded her head and turned back around, dipping her head down to look in her desk once more, as if expecting her things to magically reappear. Unfortunately, they hadn't. She spotted a small piece of paper in the far corner of her desk, and reached for it with difficulty.

It had taken a couple of seconds, but her hand finally found the piece of paper. She pulled her arm out of the desk and examined it carefully. It was folded, but Orihime could see a ornate border through the backside of the paper. She opened it up, not quite sure why she felt the need to be so delicate with it, and felt her left eye twitch slightly at the message that had been scribbled neatly on the paper.

Have fun swimming, Inoue-san.

She didn't need a moment to think about what it meant or who had left it, those answers instantly obvious to her as she had read the words. She laid her forehead down on her cool desk and let out a sigh. She knew that retrieving her things wouldn't be a pleasant experience.

/0/0/

Orihime stood on the bank of the pond and huffed, trying to think of the best way to do this. "This" being fishing her floating papers out of the icy water of the pond. She had only been able to grab a few things that floated closer to the shore, but the majority of her things were drifting lazily as the winter winds blew them.

She had broken away from her friends immediately after school, giving some excuse she was sure wasn't too believable. Having had wrapped her thick scarf around her neck and her coat over her shoulders, she ran immediately down to the small gathering of water to find her suspicions were correct.

She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and groaned when she found she had been in the same spot for over an hour, half-expecting that her things would eventually find her way to the land around the pond.

"Well, I guess I should just get this over with…" she whispered as she slipped off her scarf, coat, and vest. She plopped down on the ground and began untying her shoes. She sat them behind her and slid her socks off, stuffing them in the previously removed items.

Standing back up and dusting her rear-end off, she advanced towards the water she had been trying so hard to avoid. Attempting to balance herself, she held her arms out on her sides and dipped one of her toes into the icy liquid, wincing at the contact. Slowly, she slid her entire foot into the water and instead of finding the bottom of the pond, she felt herself lose the little balance she had tried to maintain and plunged ungracefully into frigidity.

The water wasn't deep, she discovered as she stood up, gasping for air. It only reached about three inches above her knees, so she wasn't sure how she had managed to get her entire frame soaked through. She decided it was just her luck and wiped the water that lingered around her eyes.

It didn't take long for her body to react to how cold the substance was in which she stood. Within thirty seconds she was already trembling beyond her control, blue creeping upon her lips, and her already pale face loosing all remaining color.

She was determined not to freeze to death, so she quickly started looking for her things. Much to her dismay, they had been pushed further away when she entered the pond. She waded slowly over to them, picking up the soggy paper that nearly disintegrated in her shaking hands.

After walking all over the pond, she successfully retrieved all of her soaked belongs. She headed over to the area where she had started and threw the squishy documents on the bank with a loud flop. Relieved to have gotten the things, she found herself able to form a small smile…that is until she ran a trembling hand through the right side of her auburn locks. She gasped and repeated the action to confirm that one of her two most prized possessions was missing; a small, blue, flower-shaped hairpin that she never failed to wear.

Horror instantly struck her and she spun around quickly in the water in search of her accessory. She bent over and stuck both of her arms into the water, feeling the floor of the pond for her missing item. She was so engulfed in her search that she didn't notice one of her classmates advancing towards the small body of water.

"Hey, Inoue… do you make a habit of swimming in ponds during the middle of November?"

Orihime turned her head to see a certain apricot-colored hair individual standing on the bank of the pond near her shoes. His hands were stuffed far into his pockets and his face was buried as far as he could possibly get it into his scarf. She could only see the bridge of his nose and eyes, but she knew his face still carried his trademark scowl.

She straightened out slowly and gazed at him for a moment before her hand found the nape of her neck. Giggling nervously, she replied, "Certainly not, Kurosaki-kun! I am on a mission at the moment!"

"A mission, huh?" he said with a slightly amused tone. "What kind of mission?"

"A rescue mission!" she replied with a cheerful voice but a serious expression.

Ichigo pushed his hands further in his pockets, if it were possible. "Well, I think you should put this rescue mission on hold for now. It's freezing out here."

"Oh, Kurosaki-kun! If people followed that kind of reasoning, just imagine how many people would be in trouble! Think about it! An avalanche would occur on some snowy mountain and there would be some poor soul trapped underneath the snow. What if all of the Saint Bernard dogs decided they didn't feel like getting their paws wet and cold? They'd laze about until their owners fired them and turned to beagles or Pomeranians! And then all of the streets you'd see Saint Bernard dogs holding signs in their mouths that said, 'Will work for food! Must feed puppies!' It would be a tragedy! Ah! And then--!"

"Okay, Inoue! I get it," he interrupted before she got any further. "What the hell are you 'rescuing'? I don't exactly see anyone drowning…"

She pointed at the soggy mess of paper near her belongings. "Well, I originally started getting those out of the water." She directed his attention to the remaining pin on the left side of her head. "But I…uh… lost the other one of these."

The small blue flower became visible to him after he squinted. "You're sitting in freezing water so that you can find a pin?"

She looked up to the sky for a moment and then looked back at him with a sad smile. "Yes. It's one of my most cherished possessions! I wear them everyday, and I'm not leaving until I find it." She pumped her fist determinedly in the air and then plunged her arms into the water again.

Ichigo watched her as she fumbled around in the icy liquid before sighing. "Move over, Inoue."

She looked up at him quizzically to see he was removing his own jacket and scarf. She gasped as he began bunching the sleeves of his collared shirt around his elbows. "Kurosaki-kun, what're you doing?!"

He looked back at her with a raised eyebrow before plopping down on the ground and rolling up his pants legs. "What's it look like?" he asked. "I'm getting in to help you."

"N-no!" she cried frantically. "I've got it under control!"

He snorted. "Sure you do. If I let you stay there, looking by yourself, your hands and feet are going to freeze up and fall off."

She thought for a moment about how she'd have to adjust to having no hands or feet. "That would be bad…"

Ichigo nodded in his supposed victory and began scooting closer to the pond. His feet were hanging inches over the water when Orihime stopped him again. "…but that doesn't mean you need to come and help me! I can take care of it."

He pushed himself off of the bank and dipped into the water. He was determined to keep his macho persona, so he resisted when his face threatened to wince at the contact. "Damn, it's cold!" he shouted, stating the obvious. Orihime continued to fret over the fact that he was now putting himself out of his way to help her. "Well, I'm in here now. There's nothing you can do about it, so let's find this thing before frostbite kicks in. Alright?"

She examined his facial expression to find that he was, unfortunately, serious about staying in the water. Feeling in the water again, she replied sadly, "No. It's not alright." Cutting him off from starting to argue, she continued, "…but you're not going to leave no matter how much I ask you to!"

He nodded. "Exactly. Let's do this?"

She reluctantly agreed and, for about the billionth time that day, submerged her hands in the water. Ichigo followed suit and stretched his long arms into the water.

The searched in silence, until Ichigo popped the question that had been on his mind since she had pointed the soggy pile of papers out. "How did all of your stuff end up in the water, Inoue?"

Having her back turned to him, he couldn't see her face, so he was unable to determine if she had heard him or was thinking about an answer. "Inoue?"

She turned around and smiled nervously. "Well, I guess that you can't be liked by everyone! Although, I have to admit that I didn't think someone would do this… Oh, but Kurosaki-kun, it's okay!" She managed to squeak out after seeing his contorted expression. "You have to learn to forgive and forget, right?" He grunted and felt around in the water once more. She turned back around, uncomfortable with his response.

"But…you know who did it, don't you?" he asked monotonously. "The person who did this?"

She laughed at little at how serious his voice sounded. "I do, but…" she thought of a good way to word it. "I think the 'why' is much more important than the 'who'. If we get caught up on the 'who' we start looking to blame people. In most of my experiences, considering the 'why' leads to understanding and forgiveness." She released a tiny giggle. "I just happen to know both."

He looked over his shoulder to her, not quite sure that he had ever met someone so willing to forgive people after they had done something so ridiculously awful to them. Unable to resist it, his expression softened when saw her smiling with a look of determination in her eyes. "So what's the 'why'?" he asked her, turning back around to his task.

"The 'why', huh?" she asked, tipping her head so that she could see him nod. "Have you ever felt threatened? Jealous? They're natural feelings that people will occur during their lifetime. This person was no exception."

"I'm not seeing a reason to forgive 'this person'. Many people who feel jealous don't go around doing things like this."

"Those are the unfortunate ones, Kurosaki-kun! They're able to hide and lock up those kind of feelings without these type of actions, but I honestly don't think they ever feel comfortable. The people who do stuff like this, bullying if you will, will find more reward later on. I have faith that this person will look on this situation later on, realize that this was the wrong way to handle those emotions, and correct themselves! If I have to be a stepping stone to that realization, I'm happy knowing that I'll be able to help that person better themselves. Although… I do wish this person would have picked something else of mine to throw in here! I'm going to have to re-do all of that homework again!"

He felt a small grin creeping on his lips. "You're really different than most of the people I've met, Inoue."

"And I'll have to take that as a compliment!"

Ichigo stood up and stretched. Having been bent for the past five minutes, his back was starting to feel the repercussions. "Hey, Inoue. I know you really want to find that hairpin, but I think we really ought to come back tomorrow. You're going to get a cold or something. The pin won't be going anywhere."

She straightened out and let out a small sigh. "I suppose you're right, Kurosaki-kun. Besides, if I don't leave, I don't think you're going anywhere either. I don't want you getting a cold or to have people yelling at me for causing you to get sick."

She started making her way to the side of pond. "Well…" he started thoughtfully. "If they were to look at the 'why' instead of the 'who', I think they'd find that I had a pretty decent reason for catching it." She gazed at him for a moment before giggling, causing him to feel a twinge of pride that he'd been clever enough to turn her little lesson around. He struggled to move his numb legs in the freezing water as he waddled over to her. "Come--" Stopping before he really even started the sentence, his eyes narrowed and focused in on Orihime.

Her face quickly displayed panic. "What is it? Is there something on my face?" She placed her tiny hands on her cheeks and caressed her face looking for the possible thing that dared to trespass on it. "Kurosaki-kun?"

Still narrow-eyed, he started leaning in closer towards her. When he was only about six inches away from her face, Orihime began trying to back away with each approaching inch. He prevented her from moving any further by placing his right hand on her left shoulder. "H-hey! What are you doing?" she asked in a near whisper. He didn't answer, but allowed his left hand to reach out and grab her hair. "Kuro--OW!" she shrieked when she felt a sudden pain. She leaned her head in an attempt to relieve the discomfort, but by the time she had, it was already long gone. "What was that for?" she asked as she massaged her scalp.

Ichigo, having brought back his scowl, grabbed her right hand and placed something in her hands that, at this point, had a similar texture to a sun-dried raisin. She lifted her hand so that it was level with her chest and gasped at the object that rested in her palm.

"Kurosaki-kun, how did you do that?!" she asked excitedly. "I mean… I've seen magicians pull coins from behind people's ears, but I've never seen anyone do it with a hairpin!"

"Inoue."

"You're really going to have to show me how you did that! I've never been any good at those kind of things! Somehow I always manage to reveal the secret in the middle of the act!"

"Inoue."

"Oh! How many other tricks do you--?"

"Inoue!" he coughed at her surprised countenance. "I didn't do any magic. It was just stuck in your hair."

She blinked and shifted her gaze from the pin to Ichigo's face. "I see."

He frowned and started to lift himself out of the water and on to the grass. This time he didn't even try to hide his displeasure at the icy air blowing on his already frozen body; he never did understand how the air could possibly be any colder than the water. "Sorry to disappoint you." He stood up on the land, thankful to be out of the hellacious water.

Orihime looked up at him, shaking her head feverously. "You didn't disappoint me, at all. Thank you so much for finding it! You're going to have to let me bake you something! What kind of food do you like?"

He leaned over and held out his hand to her. She only looked at it for a moment and then placed hers in his. His wrapped firmly around hers and he started helping her out. "Let's talk about it inside when we're not in danger of having to get out limbs amputated…okay?" He managed to get rid of his scowl and carried a soft smile.

She observed his smile and thought, _How long has Kurosaki-kun been so handsome?_ She reached the land and could barely feel the prickly grass underneath her feet. After letting go of her hand, he wasted no time plopping on the ground in the same manner as he had done before.

Orihime's eyes searched the ground and couldn't find her shoes. "Well, where…?" He heard her incomplete query and reached over his side to grab her shoes and handed them to her. "Thanks," she spoke softly.

He nodded and continued to fix himself well enough to make it back to the dorms. She sat gently on the ground a few feet away from him and started reapplying her socks and shoes, a question suddenly hitting her. "What were you doing out here, Kurosaki-kun?"

"I was on the way to see, Urahara-san," he answered simply.

"Oh?"

"To help him out," he clarified. "I know they got a new shipment of supplies today, and I had nothing to do, so I figured I might as well lend him a hand with putting it on the shelves."

"That's very kind of you!" He shrugged and Orihime returned to her thoughts. _That's right. He is really kind. He goes out of his way to help people._ She paused for a moment. _He gets pretty good grades. He must be a good person to have such a great group of people around him._

"Inoue," he started. He was already standing and staggering towards the school building, as it was the closest one to them. "You coming?"

_He's got that hilarious scowl…_

She hopped up and wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck. "Yes!" Grabbing her coat and slinging it over her shoulder, she trudged up to him. They started walking and she looked up at him. He didn't miss her actions and tipped his head so that their eyes met.

_And those eyes…_

"Something wrong?" he asked with slight concern.

She turned quickly away from him and stammered out a meek, "N-no…"

"Okay."

Her thoughts weren't going to let her get out of it now. After lingering so long on every encounter she had when she was around him, a light pink began to tint her cheeks.

_Oh no._

/0/0/

_As usual I've got a lot to say xD_

_1) I had ABSOLUTELY no intentions of this part of the story being split into two parts. I finished it and realized it was nearly ten thousand words and spit out a little, "What the hell?!" I guess I just kind of got into it? I don't know about you guys, but I prefer when authors put out longer chapters anyway? So maybe you'll appreciate its lengthiness. _

_2) You're very lucky I like you all! I was seriously in the mind frame to just leave this story alone for a bit. Why?! I. Accidentally. Deleted. Half. Of. This. Chapter. Three. Times. And after the third time of trying to reproduce the missing section, I was pretty darn frustrated (who wouldn't be?). Out of no where I got a nice little burst of motivation, and came up with this! I like it better than the other three versions, anyway!_

_3) Combine 1 and 2 and you will get the reason I didn't post this sooner._

_4) And finally moving on to the comment on the actually chapter. I do believe Miss Inoue just developed a crush on Mister Kurosaki. What do you think? And does Ishida have crush on Hime-chan? Is he bound for heartbreak? Certainly not…because I… :squints: I see Nemu-chan on the horizon! :hint, hint:_

_5) I want to finally post in this thing: Thanks to all of my reviewers! This is my first time EVER sharing fan fiction with ANYONE, and I was extremely reluctant to put it up at first. You guys have taken a load off of my mind with your nice comments. _

_So again, Thank you:_ **dark insanity 13**, **copperheadfightingninja, Dark Hawk 32, xNocturnalxShadowx, & Gaara-l0ve! **_It really does mean a lot to me! :D_

**Gaara-l0ve-**_ I've got to be one hundred percent truthful with you and tell you I didn't even consider an accent. I've got to think on it. XD Perhaps Hime-chan is so freakin' awesome she can switch back and forth from speaking natural sounding French and Japanese? _

_6) Other thanks go out to: Apple Jacks (I've been living off of them for the past week), the Indie station on AOL Radio (for providing me with wonderful music to write to) and uh…my cat… for keeping my feet warm when sitting in the chair for long periods of time caused the circulation from flowing into them!_

_7) I hope to put out Chapter Four on or around my birthday (September 16th), and that should work out as long as I don't get too engulfed with spending birthday money, deleting the chapter three times, or typing ten thousand words. xD _

NEXT: **Chapter Four- ****_Bottled Water_**


	6. Bottled Water

_Hap.py. Birth.day. Scum.bag._

_(Oh, I'll love you forever if you got the Cromartie High School reference there... even though it's from the dub...)_

_Yes, Reader-sama, I am another year older, and no where near a being a year wiser! …Eh? How old have I turned? Well, I've just become seventeen! :D It's all well and good because I'm FINALLY caught up with the rest of the people in my grade!_

_Oh, wait… no it's not…. BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL GOING TO BE TURNING EIGHTEEN SOON! D:_

_I'm, like, the only person who's a year younger in my class (Go '09, whoo!). It makes me a little sad, but I've gotten used to hearing all the jokes._

_"Oh, Shaina! You're still a baby!"_

_That's the one I hear the most… and it's definitely my least favorite. D:_

_(Shaina's my name, if you didn't catch that. Pronounced like: Shay-nah. :D)_

_Anyway! :D I'm finally getting to an IshiNemu section of the story! It's a bit filler-y (aren't they all technically fillers until I get to plot? I prefer the term 'build-up'!) , but this is how I wanted Ishida to meet Nemu-chan, so you'll just have to get over it, dammit!_

_All of the RenRuki fans are like, "What the heck, Spring-san?! We want RenRuki NAO!" It's coming though! :D The RenRuki-ness actually leads right into the plot! Yay?_

_Just to make this clear, if you didn't already figure, this predominately a IchiHime story. :D I'll be working as much RenRuki and IshiNemu in as I possibly can…later…when I actually get to the plot…_

_Shall we do this now? I think so._

_Wondering just how long you intend to put up with my nonsense,  
__Spring-san_

**Disclaimer:**

_Orihime: Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-kun! Where for art thou, Kurosaki?!_

_Ichigo: Damn, these Arrancar are in the way of my Lady Orihime!_

_Doesn't sound quite right, huh? Luckily I'm not in charge, and Kubo-sensei is._

/0/0/

**Chapter Four- **_**Bottled Water**_

"Inoue-san! If you keep laughing and messing up your make-up, then you're going to be doing it yourself! This is the fifth time you've smudged the mascara!" a shrill voice cried angrily. The threat belonged to the unfortunate soul who had been given the irksome task of dolling up Inoue Orihime. A woman, appearing to be middle-aged, couldn't believe she had already spent and hour on a half on one person, and she hadn't even done the girl's hair yet!

Dampening a tiny cotton ball with a clear liquid, the doyenne of the Salon and Cosmetic team couldn't think of any possible reason why it was taking this long! Oh, wait. She most certainly could! The bubbly teenager sitting in front her had been the most difficult individual she ever had to work on. When the woman was introduced to her she figured, by the slightly elegant aura the lass carried, that she would be a perfectly pliable client. How very wrong she was! As soon as the girl approached her work station, everything had gone wrong. Orihime had slipped (on what, no one knew) and crashed into all of her supplies. Pouring out apologies, Orihime was hastily asked to take a seat in the adjustable chair.

From there, she promptly took the older woman on a ride through hell. While applying the powdered foundation and blush, Orihime had sneezed the tinted dust into the eyes of the make-up artist… four different times.

Time spent flushing irritated eyes out with water: fifteen minutes.

It was just as unpleasant when it came to the daunting task of lining the young lady's eyes. Orihime, who didn't wear make-up often, was not used to someone touching areas so close to her actual eye. Every time the fine-tipped pencil was placed on her lower lashes, she couldn't help but to blink rapidly. The woman tried as hard as she could to make a perfect line, but failed a number of times, finding it quite difficult to navigate around the fluttering eyelids.

Number of Q-tips used to correct mistakes: ten.  
Time spent correcting said mistakes: thirteen minutes.

By that time, the skilled cosmetic artist, already beyond frustration, figured out that the girl was sensitive around her eyes. She hardly had enough time to dread applying the eye shadow after she fixed the eyeliner to an acceptable state. Picking up the grey, compressed powder, she took a deep breath and asked the young woman in her chair to closer her eyes. Apparently her directions weren't detailed enough. First, she had closed them so tightly, it would have been totally impossible to coat her eyelids evenly. By request, she unclenched them, but so much so that her eyes were twitching. You can see where this probably led.

Number of cotton balls used to correct mistakes: seven.  
Time spent correcting said mistakes: eight minutes.

This brings us up to the current frustration, the mascara. The older woman had asked her to keep her eyes open and to not move them, not even a little bit. Everything had been going all fine before the teen's eyes wandered over to a corner of the room where craftsmen were making the final touches on the set. After catching sight of something, Orihime had begun to laugh uncontrollably. The black goop, unfortunately, hadn't been completely dried and left traces of itself above and below her eyes.

The matron placed the cotton ball above Orihime's closed eyes, attempting to remove the smeared mess and avoid destroying her previous work. After successfully eliminating the blemish, she tossed the sullied piece of cotton into the decorative trash can near her feet. Orihime opened her eyes and recognized the woman's silent irritation.

"I'm so sorry, Machiko-san!" she spoke so light-heartedly that it managed to bug the poor woman. "But…you really should have seen the look on that man's face! I think the box must've been really heavy, but his face," she wrinkled her face so much that it appeared she was in sever pain, clearly in imitation, "was so funny! Too bad you weren't looking the same way!"

"Yes, yes. I regret that I didn't get to see his face and who he was," she commented sarcastically. _So I could murder him for indirectly destroying my hard work!_

Eyes looking instinctively at the ceiling as Machiko used another cotton ball under her lower lashes, Orihime grinned. "I'll have to point him out to you later." Oblivious to how much trouble she was causing, she inquired, "Ah…Machiko-san, how much longer until the make-up is finished? I feel like I've been sitting here for ages!"

_Why, you insolent little--!_ "Not much longer, Inoue-san."

"Okay!"

Orihime relaxed in her chair while Machiko prepared another brush of mascara. "So," Machiko started, figuring if she could strike up conversation with the girl, Orihime would be less tempted to find other distractions, "How did Ishida-san meet you? He rarely handpicks models."

"Oh, I'm no model!" she exclaimed modestly. "Ishida-kun and I are in the same class!"

"As in school?" she asked with a bit of surprise veiling her face.

"Yes!" she said with a smile, but quickly straightened her face out when Machiko approached her face with the mascara applicator.

"And…he just asked you to come do this? Just, 'Hey, Inoue-san! Want to model for me?' That's it?" she probed, disbelief starting to kick in. From what she understood, Ishida Uryuu, the "Prodigy of the Fashion World", was quite anti-social. First of all, it was improbable that the young man even had a close friend he ask such favors of. Secondly, the girl in front of Machiko was certainly not the kind of person she had ever expected Ishida to befriend. He was standoffish, serious, and conservative. While Orihime was approachable, bubbly, and a bit of a ditz.

"Well…not exactly like that…" Orihime trailed off on the memory.

/0/0/

"_Oh, Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime cried triumphantly. "I've finished all of it!"_

"_You're kidding me right? In one night and the two hours we've been here you managed to make up all of that work?" Tatsuki said with an arched eyebrow. "Seriously girl, you could've redone it over the weekend."_

"_I could have, but I'd really rather take it easy. This week's taken quite a toll on me."_

_Tatsuki jabbed Orihime in shoulder from across her desk. "Maybe you wouldn't have had it so rough if you would have just told me what had happened Monday!"_

"_Tatsuki-chan, I told you to just forget about it. Dwelling on it isn't going to do anyone any good, you know!"_

"_I'm not dropping it until you tell me who threw your stuff out in the pond," Tatsuki protested and flexed her right arm. "That girl's got a serious beating coming her way!"_

"_And that," Orihime sighed, "Is exactly why I don't plan on telling you."_

"_What isn't she telling you?" a voice asked from the classroom door._

_Tatsuki glanced over her shoulder to identify the person and turned back around to Orihime. "The girl who did all that crap to her this week."_

"_Well don't worry about it," he said looking away from the two, traces of a smirk lingering on his lips. "I've already had a long talk with the culprit."_

"_She told you who it was?!" Tatsuki exclaimed, feeling quite offended._

"_Only after I pestered her for the name."_

_Orihime stood up at her desk a donned the brightest smile a person could after having nearly frozen the day before. The color was slowly returning to her face, and the few hours of sleep she had gotten the night before restored some of the luster back into her hair and eyes. She clasped her hands together over her chest, a small blushing creeping on the apples of her cheeks. "Good Morning, Kurosaki-kun!"_

"_Ah, Good morning, Inoue," Ichigo responded, feeling relieved that she was looking better than she had. _

_Tatsuki hadn't missed the expression or blush that Orihime had on her face. "Orihime…tell me you don't…" Orihime looked at her, clearly confused. "I mean…HIM?!" she finished up hoping her friend would take a hint._

_And she did. Blushing profusely, Orihime clasped a hand over her tomboyish friend's mouth. Shushing her, "Tatsuki-chan, be quiet! I'll talk to you about it later!" _

"_What's going on?" Ichigo asked._

_Orihime's head whipped around so fast, Ichigo was sure he felt a small breeze produced by her hair flying through the air. "Nothing, Kurosaki-kun!"_

_Ichigo shrugged and threw his bag on the surface of his desk, flopping down into the uncomfortable chair he'd probably be sitting in all day. Propping his head up on the palm of his left hand, he watched a flustered Orihime whispering at Tatsuki who's face switched back and forth from disbelief to a certain smugness. Tatsuki would occasionally look at Ichigo out of the corner of her eye and then back at Orihime, laughing. It was bothering Ichigo, but he wasn't going to make a big deal out of. Truth be told, the only reason he even decided to come to class that day was because he needed to sleep, and he certainly couldn't get that done in his own dorm._

"_Wow, Orihime. Just…wow," Tatsuki said leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms. "I think you could do so much better, you know? Why him?"_

"_Tatsuki-chan," Orihime practically groaned as she sat back down in her chair. She laid her head flat on Tatsuki's desk and tried looking at her friend with little effort. "Can we please just talk about it later?"_

_Tatsuki chuckled a bit. "Sure, but you're--"_

_Tatsuki was interrupted by a very perturbed-looking Ishida bursting through the classroom doors. He wasn't in the school uniform, but was dressed in a surprisingly fashionable suit. His hair was as sleek as ever, but his normal glasses had been replaced with dark-rimmed ones._

"_Ishida? I thought you weren't going to be here today or for the rest of the weekend. What happened to that photo shoot you were supposed to have?" Tatsuki asked._

"_It's still on and I'm trying to get out of here as soon as possible, but I really needed to talk to Inoue-san."_

"_Me?" Orihime piped up._

"_Yes," he said, trying to smile in his distressed state. "Forgive me for asking favors of you, Inoue-san, but a model of ours dropped out for the shoot this weekend. We simply don't have time to hold another casting call, but… I was wondering if you might be able to accompany me to the shoot as a replacement…"_

_Orihime blinked a few times before her face lit up completely. "For your winter line?! Really?! Me?!" she spoke so fast her queries nearly blended together. "Oh, but Ishida-kun, I don't have any experience. None at all!"_

"_That's not a problem. I can tell that you'd do just fine," he said trying to reassure her. "And I'd be there to help you out." She closed her eyes in thought. "Inoue-san?"_

_She opened them and smiled at him. "Okay, Ishida-kun! I'll do it!"_

"_Y-you will?!"_

"_Yes!"_

"_Thank you so much! Well, let's go!"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Let's go?"_

"_R-right now?"_

_He nodded and helped her stand up out of her chair. "The helicopter out of here leaves in half an hour. If we miss it then we won't make the shoot. You don't have to get any clothes. I'll provide you with some, and the hotel will have the other things you'll need."_

"_A-ah, Tatsuk-chan, I'll see you Sunday evening!" she managed to get out as Ishida started ushering her towards the exit. "Bye, Tatsuki-chan! Bye, Kurosaki-kun!" Ichigo nodded and Tatsuki stood up as if she had something to say, but Ishida and Orihime vanished through the portal before she could. _

"_B-bye…" she muttered, not sure how this had happened so fast. _

/0/0/

"Inoue-san, you look very nice," a familiar voice said tearing her out of her memories. "Machiko-san, I really think you've out done yourself."

"Thank you, Ishida-san," she replied, feeling she deserved the praise.

Orihime turned her head to look at her friend without realizing that Machiko had lipstick pressed against her mouth, causing a broad line of red to draw itself from the corner of her lips to her ear. Machiko looked at the newest disaster, closed the lip stick, put it on her work station, and excused herself, feeling if she stayed she would probably have to kill the girl.

"Oh, dear!" Orihime exclaimed as she saw her face in the vanity mirror. She looked through Machiko's supplies and found a half-empty bag of cotton balls. She began picking up various bottles, examining the labels for the substance the make-up artist had used to get rid of the previous mistakes. While searching, she spoke, "Ishida-kun, I haven't seen you since we got here! You've been pretty busy, huh?"

He nodded and took a seat in stool next to the seat Orihime had been sitting. "Yes. It's usually chaotic the first day. Tomorrow will probably run smoother."

"What have you been doing, anyway?"

"Making sure that the clothes fit, completing any necessary alterations, checking off that the set is as it should be, among other things," he responded, sounding quite bitter. "I should have my assistant doing these things, but he disappears and I end up doing them myself."

Orihime, having finally found the liquid she had been looking for, applied it to a cotton ball and started rubbing the stain off of her face. "I see. Isn't it worth it to know that at least everything will be done correctly? Would you like such an unreliable assistant in charge of those important duties?" she asked, half-jokingly.

"I supposed you're right," he agreed dryly. He was tired. Very tired. The night before had been hell, as he had to practically fight the hotel manager about misplacing their reservations for rooms for himself, Orihime, and his make-up, salon, and clothing crew. Fearing that he and the others could be sleeping on the streets that night, he had been in quite the tizzy. Luckily, Orihime calmly and sweetly asked the staff to please check their computer system again. They did and found their reservations, under Uryuu Ishida instead of Ishida Uryuu.

It was only the afternoon now, but the morning had not been without its own disasters. The people who were supposed to set up the set were terribly late, the wardrobe had been delivered to the wrong building, and several boxes of make-up and beauty supplies had been ruined on the trip. He'd been running around the entire studio trying to correct as many mistakes as he possibly could, while still managing to keep the majority of his composure. The staff, feeling more secure under their boss's calm disposition, got to working around the delays they were currently facing.

Ishida sighed. He couldn't wait until this was over. The next time he would even have to consider his line would be in February, where planning and putting together his spring line would take place. The spring line was a considerably better time to work, too. Ishida didn't have to worry about sewing through thick fabrics, and the nice weather and atmosphere generally put people in a better mood.

His eyes, half-glazed over, spotted the returning Machiko, who looked like she had been taking her stress out on a punching bag. Deciding it would make him feel worse if he thought about the springtime, he stood up and straightened up his clothes.

"Ah, Inoue-san," Machiko started, "You removed all of the lipstick?" The girl nodded. "Well, I suppose I'll reapply that and we can get started on your hair."

"Have you decided how you'll do it?" Ishida asked.

"No, Ishida-san. I've got a couple ideas but I think the result will be better if I just improvise."

Ishida nodded, "When you're done with her hair, can you--?"

Indistinct shouting suddenly caused everyone in the studio to fall silent, and even then Ishida and Orihime couldn't make out what it was saying. Ishida turned around to see everyone looking in one direction, some of them muttering something to the person next to them.

Pushing up his glasses and turning to look at Orihime and Machiko, he muttered, "If you'll excuse me for a moment?"

They both nodded and he raised a hand to say he'd be back later. He disappeared through the crowd of frozen workers, staff, and models. Weaving through the people, he was tempted to start doing some yelling of his own; he really didn't need them wasting his already precious time.

As he moved towards the voice he stumbled upon a scene he was most certainly not pleased to see.

Clutched by her clothes, a younger woman was being held inches away from the face of an older man. His face was red with frustration and misplaced anger. While she simply stared back at him with a blank expression.

"You stupid, STUPID girl! Do you realize how much this is going to cost me?" he spat out at her.

Her eyes found the floor and she let out a small, "I'm sorry, Otou-sama…"

Clicking his teeth in irritation, one of his hands let go of her and ascended into the air. She looked up at it and closed her eyes, waiting for the contact to come to her face. It never did. She hesitantly opened one of her eyes to see Ishida gripping the man's hand about a foot away from her face.

"First of all," Ishida started, his eyes narrowed at the man, "I'd appreciate if you didn't wrinkle my clothes like that. Secondly, I think it would be wise of you to put your hands to your sides before I have someone come and make you."

The man commenced to squinting at Ishida and reluctantly let go of the girl, pushing her hard enough to force her to land ungracefully on her butt.

"Who the hell--" the man was cut off with Ishida's palm close to his nose.

Ishida, turning his attention to the gathered crowd around the incident, spoke firmly, "I don't know where you all got the idea that standing there is accomplishing anything, but you've got about three seconds to get moving. If you've got time to stand around watching, you've got time to do what you're supposed to be doing."

The people bustled away as quickly as they could, leaving the last three in a moment awkward silence.

Smacking Ishida's hand away from his face, the man made another attempt. "Who the hell are you, boy?!"

"That's not your question to ask. Obviously," he pointed to the girl on the floor, "If those are my clothes, then I'm most likely Ishida Uryuu. I, on the other hand, have no hints to your identity. Your name, if you don't mind."

The man most certainly minded but answered anyway, smirking, "Kurotsuchi Mayuri."

"You're not ringing any bells," Ishida commented, adjusting his glasses. "So you mustn't be someone of too much importance. What gives you the right to raise your hand to this girl?"

"That's none of your business," he answered, scratching the back of his neck, looking like he was quite bored of the situation already.

"It became my business the moment you caused a scene in this studio."

"He's my father and manager…" a voice spoke softly from the floor.

"Girl, who told you that you could speak?!" he snapped at her, causing her to wince back slightly.

"…sorry, Otou-sama…"

"Hey! Stop yelling at her!" Ishida shouted. "What is the problem here anyway?"

"The clumsy fool has already cost me enough money," he answered matter-of-factly. "I've simply let her get away with it too damn much."

Ishida's eyebrow arched before his eyes caught something shiny on the floor. He tilted his head, reluctant to take his attention off of the older man, and examined a golden shoe with a snapped off heel laying close to it. "Tell me you're not causing a ruckus over that," Ishida said calmly.

Mayuri turned his head away to avoid Ishida's gaze, confirming that that would indeed be the case. Ishida pinched and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Get out."

"What was that?" Mayuri looked back over to him, a curious grin playing on his mouth.

"I said get out," Ishida answered seriously.

Mayuri began laughing softly to himself. "Boy, I'm not leaving."

"If you want her to finish this job and get paid, then you'll leave and come back tomorrow afternoon when we wrap things up. If not, you can both leave now…and pay for the shoe."

Turing his gaze back and forth from Ishida to the young woman on the floor, he smirked slightly. "Alright, I'll go." He tidied himself up before walking over and crouching next to her. She almost backed away when his hand reached out and grabbed her chin. "Nemu, I suggest you avoid racking up any more debts, alright?"

Her eyes stared into his. "Yes, Otou-sama."

Tapping her lightly on the cheek, he nodded and stood back up, walking towards the glass doors that led outside of the studio. He turned around, an eerie grin still on his lips. "I can't wait until our next meeting, Ishida-san."

"I can," Ishida muttered as the man exited the building. Taking a deep breath, he tried letting go of the pool of frustration that had built up in his chest. He bent over and picked up the fragmented shoe, turning it to assess the damages done to it. His eyes shut tight, mind wandering over man and the girl who had caused so much trouble in a matter of a few minutes, Ishida turned to the remaining piece of the problem.

Her face was dipped down so far that her long, ebony (that took on a deep violet hue in certain lighting) hair covering her face. Ishida hadn't even bothered to get a look at her when her father had been around, but he was taking full advantage of it now. Long and slender legs were both bent at ninety-degree angles and two delicate hands at her sides propped the young woman up. Ishida found it unfortunate that the girl had been wearing one of his favorite designs at that moment; an elaborate, white gown with many dainty accents, such as bows and ruffles. The area that Mayuri had gripped was wrinkled and the bottom of the dress had been defiled by the unsanitary floors.

Ishida made a few paces over to where she was still sitting and knelt down on one of his knees beside her. He wasn't sure what he was going to do had the seemingly fragile girl been crying, but spoke so carefully, you'd think he was walking on broken glass. "Excuse me, but are you alright? Can I do anything to help you?"

He felt his breath escape him when vibrant green eyes met his own and her face was finally exposed. She had a porcelain complexion, thick black lashes, and slightly plumped lips. Ishida had no idea if it was just the work of his brilliant aesthetic team or if it was natural, but he wasn't certain that he had ever seen someone with such a unique beauty to them.

Feeling his face heating up, he turned his head from her and repeated his query. "Do you need me to help you with anything?" When his question was met with more silence, and his face had cooled down a bit, he turned back to girl, who was carrying an ever-present blank expression.

She blinked slowly about three times before speaking. "No, Ishida-san."

Ishida rose from his knee and bent over slightly, offering her his hand. "Well, in that case, we should get back to what we're supposed to be doing. Let me help you up."

Hesitantly placing her hand in his, she accepted his offer. He pulled her up gently, trying to be careful with the delicate girl and dress. Once she was standing fully, Ishida began looking the dress over for any tears or damages he'd have to fix and found none. He huffed lightly to himself and spoke again. "I'll have someone send you over some new shoes. Where are you supposed to be right now?"

She replied monotonously. "On the sixth set."

"You'll have to refresh my memory; which one is that?"

She extended a thin finger to point at a small corner that was surrounded by about three different cameras and a multitude of lights in different sizes and colors. It was decorated to look like the coliseum in Rome. There was a blown up picture of landscape positioned soundly to look like the background, and an authentic-looking piece of stone sat off-center for the models to use as a canvas to paint their poses on. Approximately ten people were bustling around while the current subject of their pictures produced intricate poses.

"Ah," was the only response he could produce. He found the scene to be quite well-matched for the dress he had created and for a moment felt that his production crew had finally be able to pick a suitable environment for one of his pieces. "Well, if you head on over there, I'll find someone to send you a pair of heels…"

"Kurotsuchi Nemu," she completed for him.

"Kurotsuchi-san," he said, confirming what he would call her. "Ah…er…"

She nodded at his awkwardness and began to start walking away. Only making it about two feet, Nemu stumbled and descended once again to the floor. She didn't land with too much noise, but Ishida found himself instantly by her side, throwing questions at her. "Are you alright? Did you trip? You're not hurt are you?"

She looked up at his flustered face and then down to her legs. Hiking up the dress more than necessary and bringing the crimson tone back to Ishida's face, Nemu revealed a slightly swollen and discolored foot. "I think I may have injured it when the heel broke. My foot might have twisted…"

Ishida's lips pursed. "You should have said something earlier…"

"I didn't realize it before."

Before she even knew what was going on, Ishida had wrapped one hand around her waist and placed her own arm around his neck. "Excuse me for touching you, but I don't think you'd be able to stand on your own." Nemu's eyes widened at the contact, but said nothing as he craned her up into a standing position. "Come on. I'll take you to the first aid area. Maybe they will have some ice."

"I think I'll be alright, Ishida-san…"

"Nonsense…"

/0/0/

"Where is he?" Orihime asked herself, her eyes wandering the entire studio for her missing friend. He had been gone for a good thirty minutes before she and Machiko decided that someone should make sure that he was okay. Her hair was only partially done, but if Machiko wanted to leave it as it was, it would have been perfectly acceptable.

Soft ringlets bouncing around her shoulders, Orihime walked tenderly, trying to avoid damage from coming to the new clothes and shoes she had been given. A yellow, asymmetrical dress clung to her frame, more so in some places than others, and fluttered behind her as she sauntered through the bustling people around her.

"Ah! Ishida--!" she had found him but cut herself off quickly as she got an eyeful of the scene in front of her. Something about it prevented her from resisting an approaching smile.

Although they were too far away to hear, Orihime could tell that Ishida was lightly scolding the girl who was sitting on a stool before him. He knelt in front of her, his hand holding it as lightly as possible, and fixed a bag of ice over her freshly bandaged foot. She stared back at him blankly, occasionally interrupting him to protest about whatever the subject was. His eyes were focused on the appendage until the young woman had said something, which promptly caused him to whip his head up to look at her. He listened to her for a few moments before looking back down at the foot, blood rushing to his face.

Orihime nearly snorted but stopped herself to avoid being spotted by her friend. Turning around on one of her heels, she began to walk back to Machiko, a massive smile glued to her face.

/0/0/

_Tah-dah! All done (and only a day late…sorry…)._

_Random: You know… I've been feeling rather depressed lately (you wouldn't be able to tell, huh? :D), but I'm hoping it lasts until I've written the next four chapters. It'll make the events leading up into the plot more drama-ful!_

_Aside from that I really don't have that much to say, actually (Oh noez…! The apocalypse!)._

_Oh! Except that the Chapter (due September 24) might be a day late (but probably not). I'm Vice-President of our school's Art Club, and my best friend (a.k.a. the Prez) is super unreliable and I have to make sure everything's going smoothly. On top of that, I've got to take a bazillion (okay…only a hundred) photos for the yearbook…which means I've actually gotta get out of the house sometime D: So I apologize if it's not out! These chapters aren't already written, I have the outlines for the chapters written down on paper, but it takes me a little bit to actually write everything out!_

_Mkay!_

_Next up:_ **Chapter Five- **_**Joker**_

Until then, enjoy this (much shorter) Omake! :D


	7. Omake: A Change of Heart?

**Omake- **_**A Change of Heart?**_

"Has anyone else noticed that Ishida's stopped fawning over Orihime?" Tatsuki asked her small group of friends. Everyone was backed into a small corner of the classroom, with the exception of the subject of the question himself, who was working quickly on a new sketch for his line. All of them nodded, and Tatsuki continued. "I mean…what did you do to piss him off, Orihime?"

Her mouth half-full with Urahara's candies, she spoke defensively. "First of all, Tatsuki-chan, Ishida-kun never 'fawned' over me!"

The group quickly proceeded to laugh. Renji leaned back into on of the chairs. "Sure he hasn't. That's all he's done since you got here."

Orihime huffed and pasted a pout on her face. "That's not true, but if you're talking about the reason he's started talking to me less, I know the reason!"

"Oh?"

"Spill, Orihime!" Tatsuki said quickly, actually curious.

"He's got a new girlfriend!" After Rukia dropped the candy she was about to put in her mouth, and the others started gaping at her with confusion, she spoke again. "Well, it's not official, but it's only a matter of time! You should've seen them at the shoot!"

"Delusional," was all Rukia said before she picked up a new piece of candy.

"I am not!"

"Ishida's not the type to just go out and get new girlfriends," Ichigo said.

"Oh, but he did this past weekend!"

"Prove it," Renji said with a boyish grin on his face, eager to see how she would be able to do so; even if it was true Ishida wasn't just going to admit to the accusations.

"Okay!" the looked at her with surprised expressions as she stood from her chair and motioned for them to follow her. They obliged and the group approached his desk. Orihime waved them away as if to tell them not to be so obvious. They all took a seat around Ichigo's desk and tried to act nonchalantly, Orihime pulling up a chair in front of Ishida's desk.

"How're you this morning, Ishida-kun?" Orihime asked him.

"Quite well," he said his eyes never leaving the paper. She was silent for a moment before he smiled, still scribbling on the drawing. "Sorry, Inoue-san, even if I'm not looking, I'm listening. I'd just really like to get this finished."

"Oh, alright! I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions!"

"Go ahead."

She placed an index finger on her chin, thinking carefully. "What day are the pictures going to be out?"

"December fifteenth."

"Will I be able to get a copy or two of mine?"

"Yes, I already ordered extras."

"You were serious when you said I could keep that yellow dress?"

"Of course."

"What about that one coat? I can really have that one too?"

"Yes, Inoue-san."

"And that outfit you're drawing now is for Nemu-chan?"

"Yes."

"Along with those other five you've been trying to hide?"

"Yes," he repeated, not even aware that he was answering questions he normally would have denied.

Orihime giggled and got up. Ishida continued scribbling for a moment before he looked up quickly to see her plopping down triumphantly at her desk, sending glances at her gawking friends.

"W-wait! Inoue-san, you know--"

"Oh, Ishida-kun, don't be so shy! Nemu-chan's cute and those clothes will look very nice on her!"

Ishida, in the same manner that Ichigo had done almost every morning, buried his head in his arms. Orihime didn't miss the reddish tone that took to his face right before it disappeared and giggled again.


	8. Joker

_:hits the floor bowing:_

_Please don't hurt me, Reader-sama! I know I'm a terrible person for being so far behind in schedule (Wasn't this chapter due September 24?)! I have reasons, though!_

_Between being grounded from the computer, falling ill, slaving away over school work, and feeling discouraged about my writing altogether, I've hardly had the opportunity to put some good work into this story. Not to mention, I've been stressing over college-ness. I mean, all it takes is seeing the name of a college on your crush's shirt to make you curious… and indecisive. BUT, I'm back on track and really sorry! I know I get frustrated when I get into a story and the author doesn't update for a while (not to say that any of you are totally hung up on this particular story). I'm just wishing everyone will stick around._

_On the story: I'm terribly sorry if this chapter doesn't live up to your standards. I've got to get back into the groove of writing… Have you been wondering what happened to Orihime's brother, and why I keep dodging around giving details? You're in luck! This chapter and the following two will answer that and dive into a good part of Ichigo's past! After that is the PLOT! :D Yay!_

_Dearly hoping that you've forgiven me,  
__Spring-san_

_Disclaimer__: I'm married to Byakuya-sama. Oh, wait. That could only happen if I owned Bleach, right?_

_/0/0/_

_**Chapter Five- **__**Joker**_

"Ah! It's so cold today!" Orihime cried as she struggled to navigate through the sea of late afternoon shoppers around herself and her friends. In her hands were several shopping bags, both paper and plastic, in a variety of vibrant and subtle colors. Trying to compact herself as much as possible, she had her arms glued firmly to her sides. Her nose had taken on a deep cherry color, along with her frozen cheeks.

Tatsuki turned to her friend and spotted that her scarf had fallen from its desired position. Grabbing the fabric delicately, Tatsuki wrapped the lengthy accessory around Orihime's neck and nose. She sighed and patted Orihime on the shoulder. "You know," she started, "if you wouldn't have bough so much, you could at least stick your hands in your pockets…"

"Who's all that stuff for, anyway?" Rukia questioned, having little difficulty walking on the narrow strip of pavement. Threatening aura covering his entire being, Renji traveled next to her, ensuring that no one even dared to come within three feet of his petite companion. The two dressed appropriately for the weather; Rukia in a modest, black coat lined with a layer of fur, and Renji in a thick leather jacket. Rukia's outfit was topped with a fashionable, burgundy beret, that hailed from Ishida's winter line, on her head and patent leather half-boots on her tiny feet.

The majority of her face hidden behind her scarf, Orihime's glittering eyes gave away that she was smiling quite brightly. "Just about everyone!" The sparkling orbs drifted to the sky in thought. "Of course there's something for everyone here; Tatsuki-chan, Kuchiki-san, Abarai-kun, Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, and Kurosaki-kun!" There was a pause as she pulled more names from her memory. "And I couldn't forget about Chizuru-chan, Mizuiro-kun, and Asano-kun. I even got something for Ochi-sensei!"

Displeasure quickly covered Tatsuki's visage. "You've got to be joking. Don't buy stuff for everyone! It makes the come back for more later," she scolded. "And some people start to get false hope…" she added the second part on to indicate their very own, in-house lesbian.

"Yeah…" Ichigo's voice was heard from the very front of the group. His scowl involuntarily deepened at the thought of the overdramatic reaction his so-called friend would display. "You don't even know if people are going to get you something, too."

"Oh, no!" Orihime shrieked. "You can't possibly have that line of thinking, Kurosaki-kun! That's not what Christmas is about!"

"No?"

"No! Christmas is… Christmas is…"

"Christmas is…?" he probed.

"I can't possibly explain it! Christmas is like the way it feels when you drink hot chocolate: warm and fuzzy. It's about buying while the thought of receiving never even crosses your mind! It's the way your heart flutters when you watch someone happily opening the gift you've given them! But most of all, Christmas is about spending time with the people you care about! You know what I'm talking about, right?"

"Don't get so worked up, Orihime," Tatsuki laughed. "He gets it well enough."

She nodded and turned her gaze upon the silenced boy. Eyes vacant, he appeared to be thinking deeply about something. Orihime had to admit that he carried an expression that she had never witnessed before. Everything was the way it usually was, but at the same time, it was one hundred percent different. His face appeared to have drained a fair amount of color, and his lips were pressed so tightly together, they looked as if they were turning white. His lackluster eyes were narrowed and one could swear that, by the way they were scrunched together, his eyebrows were trying to reach one another.

Pushing her way through her friends and sending a silent "excuse me" at each one of them, Orihime stepped to stand next to her tangerine-topped boy. She hesitantly touched his arm, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. His expression returned to normal as he sent a wordless question at her.

"I just wanted to make sure that you're okay…and that I didn't upset you…" her meek voice and nervous eyes managed to make his features soften even more.

"You didn't. I'm fine."

Orihime fell back to her original position beside her childhood friend. His unconvincing response was enough to send a jolt of guilt rushing through her veins. Her small hands tightened around the handles of her shopping bags and she released an inaudible sigh. The expression Ichigo had been carrying sent her into a pool of thoughts, and it didn't help that the aura he came to possess suggested that something was wrong with him. She didn't have long to evaluate the possible causes for the sudden change as Ishida's voice reached her ears.

"This is where I shall take a different path," he remarked dryly. He was a bit overdressed for a shopping expenditure, wearing a white suit with a navy scarf draped over his shoulders. One hand in his pocket and the other around a briefcase, he continued to speak. "I will see you all where the helicopter dropped us off."

"Where're you going?" Tatsuki asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"No where any of you should be concerned with…"

Tatsuki began to furl her sleeve vehemently. "Why you--!"

"Ah! You're meeting Nemu-chan!" Orihime exclaimed eagerly. "That explains why you brought those sketches!"

"I-Inoue-san, I really wish you wouldn't burst out with that kind of information!" His standoffish vibe gave way to embarrassment and he backed away from his group, making a futile attempt to hid his briefcase. "How did you even know?"

She posed energetically, bringing her fistfuls of bags to her hips. "Women's intuition! It never fails me!"

"Women's intuition, huh?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes!"

"Well, alright… I really need to go now," he spoke, turning away from the group. He had long given up trying to figure out where Orihime got her silly ideas and explanations. "Remember, you need to be at the hotel before ten o'clock or you'll be locked out for the evening."

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo waved him off. "We got it."

Ishida's buried hand found its way from his pocket to his glasses, and he adjusted them as he so often found himself doing. "You," he started, "can sleep on the streets for all I care…"

Chad grabbed Ichigo's arm to prevent him from lunging at their vision-impaired friend as he crossed the street with a large crowd and disappeared into the abyss that was the city of Tokyo. The remaining members of the group stood idly for a few moments before the irritated whining of other pedestrians motivated them to resume their previous pace.

The seven, now six, students had been, after a long process of paperwork and getting parents' approvals, given permission to visit the city for three days. They had it planned out well enough that, when they arrived back at the academy, they would be just in time for winter break to start, which spanned across December tenth to January seventh. Orihime would only be able to stay at the academy until the twentieth, however, as she had traded her break for training at the company. She wasn't complaining, though, and it was terribly difficult to catch her being pessimistic about her entire situation. The only thing bothering her now was that her orange-haired crushed seemed to have delved into a hole of anger or depression (she was failing miserably at discerning which one it was and definitely wasn't about to ask).

Orihime certainly wasn't the only one planning to be leaving the academy for the majority of the break, however. About two-thirds of the entire school had plans to go visit some warm area (Orihime would never understand why anyone would want to miss out on snow!) or go on a cruise. Others, who had no intentions of exploring the Bahamas over their leave, picked random locations to vacation, just thrilled to be getting out of the secluded property that their school was.

Arisawa Tatsuki was being sent to the States as the "Teenage Karate Ambassador from Japan". When Orihime had asked her what her role would be, Tatsuki bluntly stated that she was going to California to be a respectable representative… and to kick some major international ass. She had been adamantly insisting that she really had no desire to go, but Orihime knew that she was eagerly anticipating the trip overseas.

Chad was another individual from their group that had to take off in the middle of the break. He hadn't spoken too much of details, but from what Orihime understood he would be in London, performing for a group of his family's more profitable supporters. There were no complaints or hints that he was dreading the trip, and everyone assumed that even if he wanted to stay and relax, he would never mention it.

The last person who had any work at all to perform was Ishida. Though the tasks he had to complete were relatively simple, they were inconveniently time-consuming. His unreliable assistant had informed him, of only recently, that he was to attend a party to finally reveal the winter line and had been scheduled for several interviews the following days. The only bright side, Orihime had been able to discover with her "womanly intuition" (or rather snooping around in his notebooks and agenda), was that Kurotsuchi Nemu had been chosen to accompany him around as not only his date, but as a live model for the magazines to see in person. Ishida was a little displeased to hear that the decision was made without his consent, but he was in no position to resist the emerald eyes he had been subjected to weeks before and eventually conceded to the idea.

The remaining three, Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji, had no problem admitting that they planned to laze about the campus for the entirety of the break. Ichigo was expecting his two younger siblings to be visiting the campus from the twenty-fourth to New Year's, and Renji and Rukia had no reason to venture anywhere. Orihime worried that they may get bored over break and volunteered to come up with something all three of them could do, but they quickly declined, not willing to have to deny some crazy concoction of a vacation later on.

As she trailed out of her thoughts, Orihime blinked opened her eyes (which had involuntarily closed at some point) and inhaled a small gasp upon discovering that she somehow managed to be separated from the rest of the group. Her eyes ran back and forth in their sockets as she attempted to catch a glimpse of a tall, tan young man, a burst of orange, or crimson streaks among the crowd (Tatsuki didn't stand out too terribly and there was no way she'd be able to discover Rukia's petite form amidst the mass of citizens).

Much to her dismay, she was having difficulty spotting anything, even as she stood on her toes and peered over the shoulders of the bustling pedestrians. Her baggage wasn't helping her situation much, either. Tugging it as hard as she could, she despaired briefly over the fact that it had somehow managed to wedge itself in between to unpleasant looking individuals.

Two men walked behind her, oblivious to the amber-haired girls perturbing situation. Both were fairly young (Orihime guessed around their mid-twenties) and easily towering over six feet. One looked like he'd fallen from the "Yakuza Tree of Wonderfully Intimidating Street Thugs". He had several ear piercing in his left ear and wore a scowl that could go head-to-head with Ichigo's. The other, while still managing to be the other's companion, looked completely different. He had a fashion style similar to Ishida's, wearing a sleek suit that he had comfortably buried his hands into. His face carried a devious grin, but Orihime certainly couldn't say that he was unattractive.

"Now, now, Genta!" the latter chided his partner. "Certainly the next deal will go better than this one did. The boss didn't really think it would turn out well, either, you know."

"Yeah, yeah. I got that, Mitsuhiko," he responded angrily. "But, I really can't stand that 'Ayumi-chan' the boss keeps letting off the hook. Any other person would've found themselves in a terrible accident by now. She's lucky that she has got her looks going for her, or this type of fall-through would carry serious consequences."

Orihime's throat went dry at the mention of a terrible accident happening to someone. _Maybe they really did fall from the Yakuza Tree…_ she thought wearily before building up her courage.

"And what the hell's up with--"

"Excuse me!" Orihime nearly squeaked out.

The two craned over to see Orihime's relatively short figure staring up at them like a deer caught in the headlights. Unable to resist, both produced hearty laughter at the countenance the young female donned in their direction.

Orihime hardly found the situation hilarious, but tried smiling brightly at them, still managing to look nervous while doing so.

"U-uh… my bag is s-stuck in between you two, and I was w-wondering if you could perhaps…"

She trailed off her request and looked at the ground as she felt their hot gazes on her.

"If we could move for you?" Mitsuhiko suggested for her.

She nodded slowly and barely managed to get out, "If you don't mind…"

Feeling a light tugging at her hair, Orihime's darted upwards to see the rougher-looking one of the two holding a piece of her tresses up to his nose. Genta was uncomfortably close to her face and she was starting to dread where this was leading.

"Well, hun," he started, "you're gonna hafta do a little something for us. You know how it goes, doncha? 'I'll scratch yer back, if you scratch mine' and whatnot. And what's the deal with the scarf? We can't see yer face!"

He pulled it from her neck and grasped it tightly in his hand before dropping it to the ground. Orihime felt her mouth fall into a disgusted frown, not entirely sure where his decent vocabulary had vanished off to. Her tiny hand rose to snake her hair out of his grasp, but instead found itself in Genta's scaly hands.

"Whatcha say, sweet--"

"Oh, stop it, Genta, you're scaring the poor thing," Mitsuhiko spoke, able to see how fast the color drained from the girl's face. Genta reluctantly released her and leaned back with evident irritation playing on his features.

"Thank you…" Orihime whispered as the man made room for her bags to be released from the clutches it had been caught in.

Mitsuhiko smiled at her, but Orihime couldn't help but feel intimidated by it. "You might not want to start getting to the 'thank you' yet, you know. We're not done yet. There's only a select few things that you can do to thank us."

Orihime thought for a moment before it dawned on her what he was talking about. The idea presented her left her with a sudden adrenaline rush, and she finally felt her first 'flight-or-fight' options coming to her. She quickly looked them over. Tatsuki had taught her some karate, but she wasn't sure it would be enough to take on two powerful looking men. Taking a deep breath, she back away from them cautiously and began to turn to take off. Letting out a shriek out of pure shock, she felt a more slender hand seize her arm and pull her back towards them.

"Let me--!" Orihime started to cry out at them, but was cut off as Mitsuhiko's body fell to the ground with a less than pleasant sounding thud. The mass of people finally started noticing their surroundings and formed a circle around the discrepancy, murmuring amongst themselves.

Scalding tears sent shivers down Orihime's spine as they poured from her eyes, freezing by the time they had rolled down her cheeks and onto her neck. They managed to blur her vision considerably, but she was thankful to catch even a smear of orange in front of her.

"K-Kuro…" she started, barely audible, "Kurosaki-kun?"

She saw the smear getting bigger and blinked out the last of her tears before feeling two strong hands gripping her shoulders. Ichigo bent down and found himself eye-level with his terrified peer.

"Yeah," he responded, scowl as distinct as ever. "You okay?"

She nodded and wiped the trails of water from her cheeks. Straitening himself out, he turned around to face his current problem: the considerably pissed off Genta. His face had turned a lovely shade of crimson, thanks to his body pumping blood to his face, a result of his fury.

"Hey, who the HELL do you think you are?" Ichigo quizzed the man, but stopped to think before an eerie grin found its way to his mouth. "You know what? Forget it. It doesn't matter."

"No?" Genta chuckled momentarily before digging into his pocket, pulling out a small object. Eyebrows raised, Ichigo finally understood when the thug pushed a button, and a small knife swung out.

"No," was his simple answer, and he prepared himself as Genta quickly began to approach him.

One would have to admit that Genta, while looking fairly simple-minded, was tactful in the way he fought. He was careful to defend when it was necessary and only attacked at opportune moments. Orihime wasn't so much surprised at Genta as she was at Ichigo, who was a little too good at this.

One final assail from Genta was caught by Ichigo's hand. Squeezing on the knife, his blood began to trickle down his arm, seeping through his coat.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime shouted to him, feeling her eyes welling up again. "Kuro--!"

"Hey. I'm fine. Don't cry, alright?" he requested softly, twisting his head slightly to look at her.

She nodded and backed up a bit as he twisted himself back around to look at Genta, who had been trying to tug his arm out of the tangerine's grip.

In a bit of desperation, Genta began laughing nervously. "Hey, kid. You know me and my partner were just kidding around, doncha?"

Ichigo clicked his teeth in annoyance and connected his leg with the side of Genta's face, sending him to rest next to the nearly forgotten Mitsuhiko.

Dashing to the side of her companion, Orihime wasted no time throwing questions out at the boy. "Are you okay, Kurosaki-kun? It hurts, doesn't it? Do you feel dizzy? How deep is the cut? What're we--?"

"Oi, Inoue!" he interrupted her before she could fire any more queries at him. "I told you that I'm okay. It does hurt like hell. I don't feel dizzy at all…and I can't tell how deep the cut is."

"A-ah…" she rubbed the back of her head with embarrassment and fell silent for a few moments. "Sorry…"

"You didn't do anything wrong."

"If my bag wouldn't have gotten caught between them, this whole thing never would have happened," she remarked guiltily. Straining out a smile, she looked up at him before bending over and putting all of her smaller bags into the one large bag she had been toting around. Her eyes caught sight of the scarf that had been taken away from her shortly before and picked it up from the icy pavement, dusting it off a bit. "It's not very clean, Kurosaki-kun, but please let me see your hand."

He obliged, not entirely sure where she could possibly be planning, and the sight of the wound caused Orihime to flinch slightly. She traced the outside of the trench in his hand with her own pinky finger, Ichigo wincing at the contact of her tiny, but terribly cold finger. He wasn't entirely sure if he had heard right, but he could have sworn he had heard the girl apologize once more and was about to respond before she began wrapping the scarf tightly around his hand.

"Inoue, what are you doing?" He knew the answer to the question.

"Stopping the bleeding?" She knew he had known the answer.

"Ah."

She resumed casing his hand until his entire hand had transformed into a bulge of fabric. Patting it without thinking, she smiled brightly at her work and looked up at him.

"This is only temporary, you know. We've got to get you to a doctor, Kurosaki-kun," she suggested cheerfully, picking up her now singular bag and hugging it to her chest (she sure wasn't going to let an incident like that one repeat again).

"First, we need to find the others and let them know we're going," he said, digging into his pocket and pulling out a simple black cell phone. He struggled for a moment and was finally able to push a button. He put the phone to his ear and the way his visage drooped with each passing second, Orihime could only assume the worse. After a little time passed, he huffed and returned his phone to its original home. "Out of the service area."

She nodded and dug into her own coat pocket and pulled out her phone. Orihime pushed a few buttons and looked up at him solemnly. "Mine too."

"Well, damn."

Ichigo wasn't about to admit it to anyone, but he had absolutely no idea how to get around the city. He had spent the majority of his life in the countryside with his sisters, dad, and… The only two who knew how to navigate the city were Rukia and Renji. Rukia had only lived in the area until she was five but she made frequent visits to her elder brother, seeing as the main part of his work was done in Tokyo. Renji's business was also stationed somewhere in the bustling city.

"What do you want to do now, Kurosaki-kun? We can't possibly find the others now. Going to the hospital sounds like the best idea, right?"

Scratching the back of his head, he nodded and stretched his arms and legs. "I guess so. My dad owns one around here somewhere. We can get my hand fixed up and call a cab back to the hotel."

"…'somewhere around here'?" she questioned, not missing the implications of the small statement.

"Don't worry, I know where to go," he lied. Ichigo could acknowledge that he didn't know where the hospital was, but he sure as was sure that if they looked long enough for it, they'd be able to find it eventually among the towering buildings. "Let's go ahead and start walking."

"Okay, Kurosaki-kun…"

_/0/0/_

Exhausted. Truly, that was the only word Orihime could use to describe her current condition. Her feet were aching, and she regretted ever choosing to wear heels that day. She could feel her stomach gurgling with inaudible growling; there was no way she was going to ask to stop to grab a snack with Ichigo's hand being in the condition that it was. Yawning for about the fifteenth time in the past thirty minutes, Orihime turned her attention to her companion.

Most people would assume that he was terribly pissed or disgusted with something, if they were judging by his facial expression, that is. His eyes were narrowed, brows furrowed, and mouth arched down. His unwounded hand was hidden in his pockets and the other was lifted into the air slightly, as he was trying to relieve some of the uncomfortable throbbing he had been experiencing since it had been damaged.

"Hey, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime started.

"Mm?"

"Do you hate Christmas?" she asked. There was no way she had forgotten his way earlier behavior in the day. It had been bothering her even in the midst of her encounter with the unpleasant men from before. She wondered if the cold had made him turn into what he had, but the only conclusion she could form was that his silent anger or sadness orbited around the merry holiday.

He looked at her with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Why?"

"Just curious."

He inhaled deeply and exhaled just as much. "Not really," he answered simply, but his eyes betrayed his true feelings. Orihime looked into them as he focused on his uncharted route to the hospital. She couldn't explain it, but they harbored a certain sadness in them that she, quite honestly, did not care to witness. They looked vacant; like all color had just drained out of them. He wasn't going to tell her, that much she was sure of, but she was convinced something awful had changed his opinion of the season.

"Okay," she whispered to herself and started to drift into her thoughts of all of the possibilities that swarmed around this particular mystery.

"Hey, Inoue," Ichigo said, preventing her from getting to caught up in thinking, "I think I found it."

"Found what?"

He tipped his head to the right and directed her to looking at a massive, circular, white building with many windows wrapping around it. There were many expensive-looking vehicles filling up the parking lot and a fair amount of people entering and exiting.

"A-ah! The hospital!" Orihime exclaimed. "Wait… 'found' it?"

Ichigo coughed a little and pretended not to hear the second part. He began to saunter through the parking lot, Orihime trailing a small distance behind him.

Not two minutes later, they had arrived at the entrance, a elaborate-looking revolving door. Ichigo prepared himself to enter when he saw Orihime standing off to the side. Eyes closed, her hair was blown backwards when a person exited from the building.

_The smell… _she thought to herself, her expression twisted from its usually happy appearance. _Just like…_

"Inoue… let's go."

"A-ah! About that, Kurosaki-kun… I'm going to just stay out here."

"What?"

"There's a bench. I think I'll just wait until you're patched up and the taxi's been called."

He approached her and looked down into her eyes. Ichigo was taken aback when he saw the look in them and frown at her slightly. "That's ridiculous. You'll freeze out here."

"I'll be fine…"

"Inou--!"

"Kurosaki-kun!" she interrupted his protests with a large smile. "Hurry and get your hand fixed, okay? Ishida-kun says we'll be locked out of the hotel if we don't get there in a enough time. I've got my coat. I'll be fine."

"But--!"

She started to push him over to the door, both her palms pressed firmly on the middle his back. When they were close enough she shoved him lightly in, and he was forced to start walking to avoid being hit by the door. As soon as he was in, he looked over his shoulder to see her smiling brightly and shooing him away with her hands.

His frowned deepened as he approached the service desk. "Something's wrong here."

_/0/0/_

_All done! And I'm not going to lie… I didn't proofread this for typos and other mistakes. If there are a lot and they bothered you tremendously, I'm sorry. I do plan on going back later and fixing them. It's just that I've got a lot of homework to actually attempt, and I've got a Halloween party to prep for._

_Like I said earlier, I've got to get back into the groove of writing, so this probably wasn't like, "WOW! Spring-san's SO amazing!" But I hope you liked it well enough!_

_As always, many thanks to my readers. I appreciate all of your feedback, good or bad! :D_

_I can't guarantee when the next chappy'll be out, but it definitely won't be a MONTH like this one was. All I know is that, for now, I can't do the "a chapter a week" thing. _

_So stick around, kay? :D_

_pee.ess. Anyone who can guess where I got the thugs' names will get a cookie!... you'll just have to bake it yourself!_

**Chapter Six**_**- Miles Away**_

"_What would ever make you think I know anything?" Rukia shouted defensively. "There are some secrets that you just shouldn't pry into!" _


	9. Miles Away

_Why, hello there, Reader-sama! :]_

_I wrote this chapter really fast. It's been done for like… three days already. xD I was going to wait until Friday night to post it, but that's Halloween and my last home football game of my high school career (not to mention, my friend and I'll be partying after all of that), so I figure I'll be busy. Aaaaand… I think my dad's picking my sister and I up Saturday morning. BUT ENOUGH EXPLAINING!_

_For once, I don't have a terrible amount of things to say! I'm just going to put out there that I'm a happy camper at the moment! My grades are good, friendships are going great, and my SAT scores were better than all of my friends (despite the fact that they typically do a better job at ACTUAL school)._

_Mmmm! For once I have to stick a key in here for the text! There's so much going on in this chapter and the next (flashbacks and narration and blah blah blah!)._

-Regular Text-  
-_Flashback-  
__**-Flashback within a Flashback-**_

_Are we clear? Shall we start? :D_

_Loving all that is YOU,  
Spring-san_

**Disclaimer:**

_Byakuya-sama: Spring-dono… will you take this ENTIRE sakura tree as a token of my affections?_

_Spring-san: Hell ye--! :ahem: Why, yes. Thank you very much._

_Byakuya-sama: No need to thank me. I enjoy getting you things._

_If… if I only owned Bleach…_

**Chapter Six- **_**Miles Away**_

Head tipping over the back side of the couch, Ichigo couldn't help but to sigh dramatically. He'd been sitting in the secluded lounge of the hotel for forty-five minutes, eyes completely fixated on the tiled ceiling. His feet rested on top a wooden table that almost clashed with the modern, multi-colored geometric pattern that laid beneath it. The room was dark; the only thing illuminating it was the dim lights stemming from the vending and soda machines, causing vague shadows to cascade next to the furniture they belonged to.

It had been while since the lobby had shut down and everything on the first floor was quiet and still, leaving him to the sound of the heat clicking on and off. He held his stitched hand above his head and looked at it disapprovingly, twisting it and bending his fingers several times. It fell back to the piece of furniture with a thump and a wince from its owner. This was the ritual that Ichigo had been following since he'd been alone, lost in thoughts about one thing and one thing only.

"Inoue…" he muttered to himself. His mind was stuck on the image of her eyes as they stood outside of the hospital and the way he felt when he saw it. He wasn't sure what it was, but something had prevented her from wanting to enter the hospital, and he doubted it was a fear of needles.

He was certain that he had been in the hospital for at least three hours while the doctors frantically put him to sleep and closed up the wound in his hand. On his way out, he had groggily made a pit stop at the service desk and as the attendant to call a taxi for two people. After being told it would be there in fifteen minutes, he had dragged his feet out the door and spotted Orihime leaning against a pole next to the stone bench that she had perched herself on. He had been tempted to call out her name before he approached her and discovered she was asleep. Muttering indistinct things in the midst of her slumber, she had shed several tears, Ichigo concluded by the wetness of her coat collar and the nearly invisible trails left on her cheeks. He had sat next to her, but not before he had peeled his jacket off of himself and placed it around her small form.

They had sat there as the fifteen minutes it was supposed to take turned into thirty-five and the taxi arrived. Ichigo didn't dare wake the girl up, so he lifted and placed her in the vehicle himself. The taxi driver tried to make conversation with the young man, but he was received with short and curt answers. They rode back to the to the hospital and met with a very worried Tatsuki and Chad who were waiting in the lobby at around nine-fifty. Tatsuki had started to scold Ichigo but Chad hurriedly told her that it was best not to stress about it, carrying the young woman to the girls' hotel room and placing her delicately to continue her sleep. Ichigo retreated to the boys' room, showered, and had, after consuming a very small dinner, found himself in the lounge. He sighed again.

"That makes the twelfth time," a voice said from behind him. Ichigo blinked rapidly before dipping his head further back to catch a petite, raven-haired Rukia standing in the entryway, sipping on what looked to be hot chocolate or coffee. She was wrapped cozily in a robe, clearly not expecting or caring if someone were to see her in public. Rukia neared him and managed to make another cup appear, handing it to Ichigo.

He took it and sat up, his neck sore from the uncomfortable position it had previously been in. Taking in its smell, he determined it to be hot chocolate and began to blow on it, steam flying away from its surface. "Thanks," he said quietly, before picking her unnatural greeting apart. "The twelfth time for what?"

A grin crept onto her features as she sat down on the recliner opposite of the couch Ichigo rested on. Her small hand wiped her dark bangs from her eyes and she took a sip of her drink before looking up at him with violet eyes. "The twelfth time you've sighed in the past ten minutes," she replied with a small giggle. "You must be pretty distressed in here, huh?"

He clicked his teeth and diverted his eyes from her, fixing them on the vending machines. He held the cup with one hand and leaned back on the couch, taking a gulp of the sweet liquid. "Sure. And you must have nothing better to do."

"Not so much that as that I can't sleep. You already know that Inoue-san's asleep, and Tatsuki just passed out on the couch in the room," she commented. "I figured it would be rude to try and watch the television when they're trying to sleep, you know?"

"Since when have you ever really cared?" Ichigo asked jokingly, receiving a small shrug in response. He swelled more of his drink and propped himself up on his arm. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "I'm not distressed… I'm just… thinking."

She gasped theatrically, falling back in her seat and capturing Ichigo's eyes. "What a dangerous activity! Are we living on the edge now, Ichigo? I didn't know you were such a daredevil!"

He huffed at her. "You're such a smartass…"

"You're one to talk," she said, laughing at his frowning expression. "What're you thinking about? Can't wait until tomorrow?"

He hesitated before removing his feet from the surface of the table and placing them firmly on the mush of carpet. Leaning forward, he placed his cup on the table softly and looked at his long-time friend seriously.

"What's that face f--?" Rukia started before she was cut off.

"Okay," he started. "Everything we talk about in this room stays a secret for… for forever! Not that there's anything to really hide… I just… Let's just keep it here, alright?"

She nodded and set down her own drink before leaning back again. "Sure."

He took a deep breath. "I don't know what it is, okay? That's why I've been sitting in here thinking about it. It was the way her eyes looked, I guess, and it's driving me up the wall, wondering what the hell could possibly be wrong with her! I curse my habit of being observant at the wrong time, because that wasn't the only time I've seen her with that look, you know!? There was that time when we were walking down the hallway and she just kind of stopped. I've caught her zoning out, and not in the way when she's talking about suicidal cats or impoverished dogs; zoning out with THAT look on her face. The irritating thing is that when you try to ask her about it, all you get is a 'Oh! It's nothing Kurosaki-kun!' or 'Nothing serious, Kurosaki-kun!' and you just know she's LYING. Then there's--!"

"Woah, Ichigo! Back the hell up!" Rukia interrupted him. "Who the heck are you even talking about?"

"Inoue!" he practically shouted at her.

"Oh…you can continue now…"

"…I've lost my train of thought."

Rukia tapped her chin with her index finger, eyes rolled towards the ceiling in thought. "What look are you talking about? I've never see a 'look' from Inoue."

Ichigo ran frustrated hands through his hair. "I don't know how to explain it! You just look into her eyes and you KNOW that she's thinking about something painful."

"Well, what set you off today, then? I mean, if she's been doing it for while…"

"I don't know…"

"Where were you when she did it?"

"In front of a hospital! We were standing there and she did IT. She wouldn't even go in with me."

Rukia's eyes flashed back towards him, widened in surprise. She began fiddling with her fingernails and gnawing at her bottom lip. "The hospital, huh?"

"Yeah," he replied, before noticing her nervous behavior. He moved a little off of the couch, making eye contact with her. "Is that a big deal?"

She looked immediately away from him to the other side of the wall. "No. Of course not."

"You LIAR!" he accused.

"Hey, don't call me that!"

"What else should I call you when I know you know something?"

"I don't know anything."

"You do! What's wrong with Inoue? What's the deal with the hospital?"

"What would ever make you think I know anything?" Rukia shouted defensively. "And besides, there are some secrets that you just shouldn't pry into, Ichigo!"

Ichigo flung back into his couch once more and stroked his temples. "Now we're onto secrets? Rukia, don't play this game with me. You know for yourself that you can be nosey. You don't have to say anything else for me to know that you pestered Tatsuki until she told you SOMETHING…"

Rukia narrowed her eyes and crossed her small arms over her chest. "Fine… I did ask Tatsuki some things…"

"Like what?"

Rukia sat silent for a moment before looking at Ichigo as seriously as he had looked at her before. "The rule still applies for this conversation staying in this lounge, okay?"

"Alright."

Rukia sighed. "I don't even know where to start… maybe I'll just start off the way Tatsuki told me about a week after Inoue started school with us." She cleared her throat when she noticed how intently Ichigo had been staring at her and began her story.

/0/0/

"_Ah, Tatsuki!" Rukia called to the girl in the hallway. She was about to stuff her key into her dorm room knob before hearing her classmate address her. Tatsuki was still dressed in her school uniform, having spent the entire school day actually working on her assignments. Rukia, having dismissed herself from class two hours early, had already changed into dark, tight-fitting jeans and a simple, purple sweater._

"_Rukia?" Tatsuki squinted her eyes to see the girl. "What's up?"_

_Rukia glided over to the girl with a resolute expression draped over her face. When she was standing next to Tatsuki, she placed her hands on her hips. "Open the door."_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Open the door! I need to ask you some things and I don't think we can talk about it here in the hallway."_

_Tatsuki--_

/0/0/

"You can't just walk up to people and talk to them like that!" Ichigo interrupted. "It's rude!"

Rukia shook her head. "If you don't like it, I can stop the story right now."

Ichigo picked up his cup again and took several drinks from it, signifying his approbation for Rukia to continue.

/0/0/

_Tatsuki raised an eyebrow and inserted her key into the dorm room door, twisting it gently and pushing the door open. For the most part, Rukia observed, it looked like it had been taken good care of. She stepped inside and quickly started looking around, trying to get a feel for how the two lived. Rukia had been in the room before, but that had been when Tatsuki was living by herself. Back then, Tatsuki had been doing a poor job of keeping everything tidy, even when the once-a-month maids dropped by and did heavy-duty cleaning. Now, it looked like the only messy part of the room was Tatsuki's bed, which was littered with a few pieces of clothes and an unmade comforter._

_Rukia immediately waltz over and plopped down on her peer's couch, still looking around in each direction while Tatsuki threw her book bag onto her already trashed bed. After looking in the small refrigerator, Tatsuki pulled out two water bottles and walked over into the living room area, sitting opposite of her petite friend and tossing her one of the bottles._

_Rukia caught it easily, and popped it open, took a sip and close it back up, setting in her lap for later. Tatsuki did the same, except she tucked hers in between the cushions on the couch she sat on. They sat silently for a moment before Tatsuki took the initiative to get the conversation rolling. "So… uh… what did you want to talk about?"_

_Rukia picked at her fingers for a couple seconds before looking up at her friend. "I want you… to tell me about Inoue."_

"_About Orihime?" Rukia nodded. "Like what?"_

"_There's no 'like what'. I want to know a little bit about everything. I've seen the magazines, Tatsuki. They barely roll over what happened six months ago, and I don't feel right having you start there and spilling what happened."_

"_So… you just want me to… tell you everything?" Tatsuki asked, trying to get some confirmation. When she got it in the form of Rukia nodding her head once more, she leaned back into her seat. "I don't know if I should, Rukia. It's not my place to go spouting my best friend's entire life story to someone she's just met, you know?"_

"_I wouldn't tell anyone. I want to just find out a little bit more about her, and know what happened back then!"_

_Tatsuki turned her head and looked out the window for a moment. "Okay. I'm just going to talk. I'm not an official biographer, but I suppose I'll just start from the beginning. Just remember that I haven't known her for forever, and the things I do know, have been told to me by her."_

"_That's alright."_

_Tatsuki sighed. "Orihime's wasn't born in France. She was born in Kyoto and moved to Paris when she was… three with her only real family, her older brother."_

"_Her 'only real family'?" Rukia questioned._

"_Yes," Tatsuki answered solemnly. "Her parents, while extremely successful and smart, practically doomed themselves to failure by their… extra-curricular activities. Her father, who started his own business that worked along-side the Sado family's, drank excessively. He spent an unreasonable amount of money on liquor and, not only caused himself illness, eventually led to the downfall of his company. After the company fell, and the Inoue family was forced to take up the lives of a lower middle-class family, Orihime's mother began missing the luxuries from her former life, and, to regain some of those things, started to sell her body to afford them._

"_They were awful parents to say the least. They often neglected their son, Inoue Sora, and when Orihime was born, they were tempted to stop her crying by… beating her." Rukia inhaled a small gasp, covering her mouth with her small hands. "Sora, however, took up the task of raising her himself. It wasn't much longer that Sora began to see Orihime as more of a daughter than a sister. He discovered when she was around one, that it would be impossible for either of them to have a decent lifestyle while living in such a dysfunctional house. Because of his exceptional smarts, he was able to get a job at some big-time computer company when he was only sixteen. He made plenty of money there and decided early on that he was going to save it, and move away with his younger sister. _

"_He was able to do that when he turned eighteen. He remembered a trip he had taken to Paris when he was ten and determined that that was the place he wanted to raise Orihime. When he got there, he expected to just buy a house and get a regular job again, probably doing the same thing he had done before. Orihime changed his mind, unintentionally, by expressing her interests in cooking and baking. He took the remainder of his money and bought a small restaurant location in the outskirts of Paris, calling it Conte Pastries. Sora took it upon himself to hire at least thirty different chefs and put together a menu that would be known all over the world as it is today."_

_Tatsuki took a drink of her water and set it back down. "To say that Orihime was spoiled by her brother would be a grotesque understatement. I couldn't even begin to describe the way she lived back then. The first time I went over to her house in the countryside, I was in awe."_

_---_

"_**Ah! Tatsuki-chan, come here!" Orihime called to her friend who, for once, stood shyly in the hallway outside of the amber-haired girl's room. She'd only been the house for ten minutes and she was already wishing they would have found a different place to have fun. The maids had been completely smothering her since she had entered the door, constantly asking if there was anything that she wanted or needed. She had told them no, of course, but it wasn't a minute later that another popped up asking the same things. Orihime called for her again, and Tatsuki determined that, at least in Orihime's room, the maids wouldn't bother them as much.**_

_**She stepped into the room and felt a wave of warmth come over her body. The entire room reminded her of one giant Easter egg. It was completely color in pastel orange, with sheer curtains draping from the open bay window. Her canopy bed was located on the opposite side of the room, and in one of the corners, there seemed to be a large collection of stuffed animals. **_

_**Tastuki wandered over to that particular corner and flopped down on the stuffed animals, reaching behind her to pick up a giant duck. She hugged it to her chest and looked up at her friend who was looking over her bookshelf, trying to find one of her favorites amidst the princess and dragon stories.**_

"_**Orihime," Tatsuki started, "where did this come from?"**_

_**Orihime glanced over at her friend and smiled. "I don't know."**_

_**Frowning, Tatsuki blindly grabbed behind herself and pulled a lion out. "What about this one?"**_

"_**No idea."**_

"_**How don't you know?" Tatsuki asked, a little agitated. "Didn't you pick these out?"**_

_**Orihime shook her head and, with the book she had been looking for, collapsed next to her friend. "Nii-san buys all of them for me. I don't know where he gets them from. Why… did you want one?"**_

_**Tatsuki shook her head and continued to observe the other stuffed animals.**_

_---_

"_She never asked for those things," Tatsuki continued. "Which was what the crazy thing was. Her brother showed up just about every day with some sort of gift for her, ranging from those stuffed animals to a new kind of pastry to clothes. Don't even get me started on the clothes…"_

_Rukia giggled a bit. "He must have really loved her, huh?"_

"_He loved her more than anything. I've never seen someone look at another person like Sora looked at Orihime. She was his world; his everything. And it was the same way for her. Everything she did, was done with him in mind. When she started getting tutored at home, she tried her hardest to please him. Even when she was eight, she was studying harder than any of the kids in our class try to now. She was determined to make him proud._

_---_

"_**Look at this, Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime said holding up a slip of paper. Tatsuki took it in her hand and glanced over it.**_

"_**Orihime… you know I can't read French," Tatsuki muttered, embarrassed.**_

"_**Ah! I totally forgot! Hold on!" she ran over to her desk and grabbed a pencil and a piece of paper, copying over what the paper said and handing it to her friend. "Isn't it good?"**_

_**Tatsuki read over it. "It is! You must be studying really hard, huh? What's this? You're already learning Algebra?!"**_

"_**Yes! I hate it though!"**_

"_**Then why're you taking it? You know your brother wouldn't force you to."**_

_**Orihime smiled brightly and looked at the original copy of paper. "He wouldn't… but he'll be happy… don't you think?"**_

_---_

"_They went on like this for as long as they had opened the restaurant. That one restaurant turned into four by the time I had met her. Those four turned into twelve before she was eight. When she was nine, they had already opened up several international branches and the name changed from 'Conte Pastries' to Conte Pastries and Restaurants. Before she turned ten, her brother hired two women named Matsumoto Rangiku and Hinamori Momo to become the main secretaries that handled a fair amount of work. Six months after that, Sora enlisted the help of a prodigy named Hitsugaya Toushirou, because one of the previous two wasn't much help."_

_---_

"_**Shiro-chan, you have to help us!" Momo cried from the room. "Please?!"**_

_**He reluctantly entered the orange room and frowned at the vision he saw. In a chair was a tearful Orihime with two women standing behind her, holding on to various pieces of her shoulder-length hair. On the bed, laid Tatsuki who was munching on chips and nonchalantly flipping through a sports magazine.**_

"_**What do you want?" he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.**_

"_**Shiro-chan--!"**_

"_**Don't call me THAT!"**_

"… _**our hands are full and we can't reach the curling iron! Inoue-chan's hair will be ruined if we can't fix it fast enough!"**_

"…_**Is that so…?"**_

"_**Yes!" another voice chimed. The busty blonde only had one hand actually holding onto hair, the other, however, was gripping tightly to a wine glass, nearly half-way empty. "This is such a difficult task!"**_

"_**It might be WORLDS easier if you put the alcohol down!"**_

"_**Yeah, yeah! Just come over here and help us, Hitsugaya-kun!"**_

_**He huffed and walked slowly up to the three women, picking the iron up as if it had a disease and handing it to the blonde woman.**_

_---_

"_They quickly became fond of Orihime, and they were deemed her friends when I wasn't visiting her. Sora was almost tempted to fire Matsumoto-san," Tatsuki chuckled, "but Orihime wouldn't let him, claiming that when she did do work, it was done well, and she was good for the morale of the company. He let her stay, but Hitsugaya-kun was determined to be in charge of the other two women._

"_Orihime was living what felt to her like a 'perfect' life. She was getting excellent grades, money wasn't a problem, and her brother was definitely proud of her." Tatsuki smiled bitterly. "But… when things are so high up, the only option for them is to come crashing down._

"_April 5__th__ of this year marked the day that Orihime's entire world crashed around her. She told me that she was on her way home from shopping with Matsumoto-san and Hinamori-san, but as she walked up to the door, several maids were already standing around the entrance. Matsumoto-san and Hinamori-san waited to see what was going on, and before they knew it, Orihime was flying towards the car screaming at them that something had happened to Sora and it was important that they head to the hospital._

"_When they got there…"_

_---_

_**Orihime nearly crashed into the automatic doors of the hospital because they didn't open fast enough. Running a good distance behind her, Matsumoto-san and Hinamori-san struggled to regulate their breathing and Momo was already on the phone, talking to Hitsugaya about what was happening.**_

_**As she sped into the emergency room, several nurses turned their attention to the weeping Orihime.**_

"_**What's wrong, de--?"**_

"_**Where is he?! Where is my brother?" she asked in amateur sounding French. "Where is he?!"**_

_**They looked at each other. "Who's your brother?"**_

"_**Inoue Sora! Sora Inoue! Whatever you have him registered as!"**_

_**One nurse looked to the desk attendant and received a nod. The nurse looked at the teenager with saddened eyes, "He's in the back room, receiving treatment…"**_

"_**Take me to him!"**_

"_**I can't do that!"**_

"_**What?!" Rangiku screamed, having just entered. "This is his only family, his younger sister. You have to let her see him!"**_

"_**I'm sorry, but I don't make the rules, ma'am. We can't let you see him see right now. You'll have to wait."**_

_**Orihime sobbed and buried her head in her hands, Momo rubbing her back. **_

_**Rangiku's eyes welled up and she grabbed the nurse by the arm, who had started to turn to leave. "Please let this girl see her brother, even if it's only for a moment."**_

"_**I--!"**_

"_**Please?"**_

_**The nurse looked nervously at the others and they turned away from her, not entirely sure what to tell her. **_

"_**You can take them back there, Marie," a deeper man's voice stated from behind her. It was a younger doctor, with glasses tipping off of his nose as he scribbled something on a clipboard. **_

"_**Thank y--!" Momo started.**_

"_**Don't thank me, and don't hate me… if you don't like what you see back there. They're doing all they can to help your brother.**_

_**Orihime looked up from her hands and nodded at him as the nurse grabbed her hand and started to drag her off to a sealed door. Orihime looked over her shoulder to see Rangiku wiping her tears and Momo waving good-bye to her. Orihime dipped her head at them as way of saying she'd be back, and turned around, following the nervous looking nurse. Marie pulled out her hospital ID and swiped it to unlock the door, and pushed it open with great effort.**_

_**As they shuffled through the chalk-colored corridor, Orihime couldn't help but glance through the windows that led into the various rooms. The first that she looked through contained an old woman and old man. The old man laid in the bed, gripping and patting his wife's hand to console her. A young boy in the next room, while sitting with a cast on his leg, chatted excitedly with his friends over what had caused him to break his leg. They gasped in response and eagerly signed his cast, some turning to their amused mothers and asking them if they could get casts too. Orihime felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach when she got her view of the following room. Inside were several people, all of them crying, even a tiny girl who buried her face into her mother's skirt. In the corner of the room, on the white bed, was a body, a white sheet draped over the face.**_

_**Not paying attention to where she was walking, Orihime rammed into the back of the nurse and began to apologize profusely before she noticed what the nurse was looking at.**_

_**Orihime walked up to the large glass window and placed her trembling hands on it. Tears reforming at the base of her eyes, she choked out a sob and took the time to observe everything that was going on. Laying on a medical table, Inoue Sora had a breathing mask placed over his face and was bleeding so profusely, several drops of blood dripped from the surface he had been placed on. In fact, Sora's blood was everywhere in the room, even on the clothes of the doctors and nurses. Orihime could see some on the walls and it was definitely present on the countertops. The room was no longer predominately white in Orihime's eyes; it was stained red. His hair was matted to his forehead by blood and his body appeared to be severely bruised, especially on his torso. Every so often he looked like he was coughing, but Orihime, from the distance she was at, couldn't tell exactly. The nurses frantically fetched the tools the doctors requested, sometimes stumbling in the frenzy.**_

"_**We don't…" Marie started, grabbing Orihime's attention. "We don't know what happened. Someone called in and said they had found his body near an alleyway. We're still waiting for the police to give us some kind of information."**_

_**Orihime stared at her before turning back around to watch her brother, and Marie walked a few steps away from her and vanished into a closet and reappeared moments later. She returned to Orihime's side and held a pale green bag up to her face. **_

_**It had her name written in Japanese on the front and the name of an expensive jewelry store printed near the bottom. Orihime caught traces of her brothers blood in various spots on it. She took it from Marie gingerly and stuffed her hand into to pull out a small box.**_

"_**I don't read Japanese," Marie commented. "I think he was buying those for you, though."**_

_**Orihime lifted the top of the box and blinked out several tears. Placed in a swatch of velvet were two blue hairpins, both shaped like flowers. She picked them out one at a time and delicately rubbed her index finger over the surface of them.**_

"_**They're very beautiful…" Marie continued. "I've seen them in a magazine before. They're one of a kind; made by a famous jewelry designer. I guess they were really expensive."**_

_**Orihime's caramel eyes met her blue ones as she gestured for the woman to hold her bag and box for a second. The woman quickly obliged and Orihime looked at the pins one last time before placing the first one on the left side of her head, making sure it was in a secure spot. She started to do the same for the other one, but stopped when she heard the shrill tone of the heart monitor fall into a single note. She whipped around and searched for the screen in her brother's room. She felt her knees turn into liquid when she spotted the screen with a single line, and the doctors shouting orders to the nurses. She slid down the wall and curled up on the floor, holding on tightly to the last hairpin. **_

_---_

"_They…" Tatsuki hesitated. "They couldn't save him."_

_Rukia felt her own tears rolling down her cheeks. "That's awful…"_

_Tatsuki nodded. "Ever since then she hasn't been able to enter a hospital. They all seem to smell and look the same… It brings back the image of her brother in that room again. I showed up this past summer and convinced her to move here, instead of living alone out in France. It would be much better for her to be here. And so, that sums up everything…"_

"_Wait, Tatsuki," Rukia leaned forward. "What happened to him? How'd he get into such a condition?"_

_Shrugging, Tatsuki took another drink. "I don't know. Orihime's the only one the police told anything to, and she's never told me. I'm not about to go asking. When she wants to tell me, she will… I guess."_

_Rukia nodded and they sat looking in different directions before Rukia spoke again. "Thank you for telling me what happened, Tatsuki."_

_Tatsuki nodded. "It's no prob--"_

"_I'm home!" called a cheerful voice from the entryway. Orihime practically skipped in her arms laced behind her back. "And guess what I-- Oh! Hello, Kuchiki-san!"_

_Rukia smiled at her weakly. "Good afternoon, Inoue-san."_

_Orihime smiled at her and then looked at Tatsuki. "Guess what I bought!"_

_Tatsuki grinned and stood up, walking over to her. " I have no idea. What?"_

"_Urahara-san's candy!"_

"_Again?!" Tatsuki laughed and poked her stomach. "You're going to get fat, Orihime!"_

"_I wouldn't mind a single bit if it was caused by this candy! I'm really considering asking if Urahara-san wants to become a branch off of Conte! His candy would sell so fast!"_

"_Ugh… don't do that, Orihime!"_

_The two continued to chatter on as Rukia sat watching her new peer, not entirely sure how, after what she had been through only a short time before, she could continue smiling so bright. She smiled and stood up, and joined the conversation over the candy._

/0/0/

"That's all I know," Rukia concluded, finishing off her hot chocolate and tossing the cup into a trash can from her seat. "I believe that's why she didn't go in the hospital with you."

Ichigo closed his eyes in thought, tipping his head back to the position it had been in before Rukia entered the room. Massaging his temples, he released a repressed sigh and fell completely silent.

Rukia sat there for about three minutes before she stood, stretching out her arms and legs. She wiped her bangs from her eyes again and glided over to the entryway. She paused for a moment at the door, before turning to leave.

"Wait, Rukia."

She turned around to see Ichigo's eyes opened, although his head was still hanging off of the side of the couch.

"Yeah?"

He sat up and twisted around to face her. "Thanks… Thanks for uh… telling me."

Rukia smiled and nodded at him before disappearing completely from the room. "Good night, Ichigo."

Sauntering over to the elevator, she punched the "up" button lightly and shifted her weight onto one foot as she waited for it to come. When she heard the ping and the sliding of the doors, she stepped into the small box and turned to face the doors. As the door shut, she said something so lightly that even in the silence of the lobby, no one would have been able to hear.

"That kid's going to fall… and hard."

/0/0/

_Tah-dah! For the first time, I'm mildly pleased with one of my chapters. I know a lot just happened, and just to warn you: the next chapter will be similar. :D _

_A few things to make mindless chatter over:_

_* Typical: I've proofread this chappy a couple of times, but there's always bound to be a few things I skip over. Sorry! =D_

_* I adore the Ichigo-Rukia-Friendship-Dynamic, and I've always seen her as the one true person he can seek advice from. Rukia fans can expect more of her in the next chapter… and a lot of Ichigo as well._

_*Sorry if the Sora death scene wasn't terribly… depressing? I ALWAYS listen to music when I'm writing. I tried to find some sad stuff to listen to but the closest I got to it was sad sounding music with happy lyrics. Makes no sense? I didn't think so either._

_*I don't think Rukia and Tatsuki refer to each other by their first names in the manga… and I sure as hell didn't feel like looking for a reference. XD Trust that, if I've changed the way they call each other, I've looked in the manga for some sort of confirmation. If not, I've decided that, in this story, they've known each other long enough to refer to each other by their first names._

_*I just recently got around to looking at some of the reviews and I wanted to thank you all. As always, your compliments keep me going. There was one comment I feel like I should address. I can't remember who wrote it, and I'm too lazy to pull up a browser at the moment… but I was asked if there would be any lime. The answer? Not anytime soon. With Ichigo and Orihime being the same age as my little sister… I find it a little weird to write them doing… yeah (it's almost the same feeling of imagining dating someone their age… bleh!). I'm not going to be doing this story for forever, though. I'll probably get to a point where I'm writing oneshots and all of that._

_--That's all there is to say! (I think I'm doing better at not writing so much at the beginning and end of these things.) See you next time… on Dragon Ball Z! (Had to… I just… had to.)_

**Chapter Seven- **_**Self Inflicted**_

"_He was lost. Very lost…" Tatsuki said, mouth full with her breakfast. Gulping down more of her orange juice, she looked back up at her friend. "But you know what? In the midst of all that chaos in his heart and in the city… only she was able to find him."_


	10. Self Inflicted

_Hello, again!_

_Out of nowhere, I've got so much writing that I have to get done, fan fiction or otherwise. A few of my teachers piled on several essays, but at least I've finished my masterpiece of an admissions essay (and it's on Sherlock Holmes!). I have Lifestyles and my new Detective Conan fan fiction called Keep Your Head (which is, if you don't mind my saying, so much harder to write than this story) to work on. I don't mind writing, of course… it's just a tad bit time consuming, you know?_

_My work will become more consistent after December 15. By that time, I am supposed to know whether I've made it into my college of choice or not. If so, YAY! If not, I'll probably end up attending the University that's twenty minutes from where I live now… which won't be so bad… I guess. (I mean… it's already 35,000 dollars cheaper than the other school? Yay, in-state tuition?)_

_Just a refresher on the key for the text!_

_-_Regular Text_-_

_-Flashback-_

_And off we go!_

_Love,  
__Spring-san_

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Bleach, we'd, as IchiHime fans, have some kind of confirmation about Ichigo's feelings toward Orihime. Come on, Kubo! Please? :0

/0/0/

**Chapter Seven- **_**Self Inflicted**_

A long yawn escaped from the soft pink lips of a copper-headed beauty as she laid comfortably on a large, soft bed. She blinked open her eyes to find that they were relatively sore; she'd been crying. Pouting, she rolled over so that she was resting on her back, also noticing that she was still wearing the outfit from the previous day.

The sun shone brightly into her room and through the white hotel-provided curtains. Looking over to her right she giggled to find that the hotel room had taken a similar appearance to her dorm room. Tatsuki's things were scattered about the bedroom, while her own side of the room had been taken care of. Her suitcase laid open on a table, neatly folded clothes peaking out from it.

She stretched her arms out in front of her and sighed slightly. On her arm was a bruise that had been obtained from the tight grip of one of the thugs. Wincing from the contact, she traced it with her fingers, going over the details of the day before in her head. It frustrated her that she couldn't remember a thing after the hospital came into view.

"…Kurosaki-kun!" she gasped, bolting up and standing out of her bed. Her legs numb, she stumbled slightly as she made her way from the room. She passed through the entrance and found herself looking at her childhood friend. "Tatsuki-chan?"

"Finally awake?" she asked. Orihime nodded and flopped down on the couch in their living space. "Well good! Room service just dropped off our breakfast. I asked for a lot of condiments for you… I figured they wouldn't be able to fix it the way you want it."

"U-uh… Is Kurosaki-kun alright?"

"That kid's built like a brick! Of course he's okay."

Tatsuki grabbed the trays of food and sat them down the coffee table, distributing her food and Orihime's. Lifting the covers off the plate, Tatsuki revealed the gorgeous breakfast that they were about to partake in. One plate was solely dedicated to a pile of French toast, and another to eggs. There was a bowl of diced strawberries and watermelon, and another plate of sausage and bacon. On the side was a large bottle of ketchup and a metal rack that housed the blueberry, strawberry, and maple syrup. In three pitchers there was milk, orange juice, and water. Also present was grape and apple jelly, along with a small bowl of pickles and wasabi. Orihime gasped at it, her mouth moisturizing.

"T-Tatsuki-chan, this stuff has to be expensive. I thought you didn't like being over extravagant?" Orihime grabbed an empty plate and began serving herself, taking a hearty portion of the French toast and smothering her eggs with apple jelly.

"I don't, but it's almost Christmas, and I won't be able to see you over the break. I figured one exception would be alright, you know?" She picked up her own plate and picked up a few things for herself. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the States with me?"

Orihime shook her with a smile. "I'd like to but it's very important that I start getting prepared to run the company. I've only got two more years before I take over completely." She took a bite of her violated eggs and chewed slowly. Her face dropped as she absent-mindedly gazed out the windows. It had been sunny a few moments before, but their room had turned a shade of grey as clouds blocked the sun.

"What're you thinking about?" Tatsuki asked, stuffing a monstrous amount of food in her mouth.

"Kurosaki-kun…" she answered before blinking rapidly, her face contorting with embarrassment. "I mean… that is…!"

Tatsuki waved her worry off. "You don't have to be embarrassed, Orihime. What about him?"

"I don't know…" she said, twirling her hair with a finger. "… how to explain it, but Kurosaki-kun doesn't like Christmas, does he?"

Tatsuki swallowed her food and set her plate on the table. Scratching her head, she leaned back on the plush couch. "What… uh… makes you say that?"

"He just looked so… different when I mentioned Christmas. Like… it was still the same facial expression, but something was off." They sat, Orihime staring at Tatsuki, and Tatsuki staring at some imaginary item outside. "Tats--?"

"He despises it."

"Huh?"

"He hates Christmas. He hates the presents, the music, the cold," Tatsuki remarked, her eyes filling with pain. "Everything about it… he can't stand it."

"W-why?" Orihime asked, clearly dumbfounded. She had never really met a person who hated Christmas. Sure, there were times when kids would say they hated it because they didn't get the presents they wanted, but there was no one she could think of that truly loathed it. Tatsuki said nothing. "Tatsuki-chan?"

"I guess… I can tell you the story. You want to hear it, right?"

"Y-yes."

"Alright… it takes place in another area of Tokyo… eight years ago… Christmas Eve. It's the story of a boy who lost his smile…"

/0/0/

"_Ichigo!" an angelic voice chirped. It belonged to a beautiful woman with a broad smile. Her curly hair fell around her face and her eyes were shining with amusement. She wore a navy, knee-length dress and a snow-white cardigan. She was unpacking her things, stuffing them into the hotel room's dresser. "It's supposed to snow today. Did you know? Aren't you excited?"_

_A six year-old Ichigo sat on the edge of the bed, kicking his feet, smiling just as much as the woman did. His chocolate eyes shining, his mango-colored hair just as bright as it would be in the future. "Yes!" he responded with a nod. "Oka-san?"_

"_Mm?"_

"_Where's Otou-san?"_

_She looked over her shoulder at the boy, holding up a shirt that she was examining. After putting it in the drawer, she nearly pounced her son, ruffling his hair despite his protests. "Otou-san's got a meeting with all the fancy doctors!"_

"_There're fancy doctors?"_

"_Certainly! Otou-san doesn't quite fit into that category…" she trailed off, "… but they're out there… and they do fancy things!"_

"_Like what?"_

"_Like… going to fancy parties, buying fancy houses, and spending their fancy money on fancy things!"_

"_Oh!" he exclaimed, buying into her explanation. "I thought we were all going to spend Christmas together, though. Karin and Yuzu are already not here."_

"_I wanted to bring them too, but it was better to leave them with Arisawa-san! And don't worry about Otou-san! He'll be back here before seven tonight. In the meantime…"_

"…'_the meantime'…?"_

"…_We'll go shopping! Truth be told, Oka-san hasn't gotten anything for Otou-san, yet! It's so hard to get away from him when all he wants to do is hug you all day!"_

"_You don't like Otou-san's hugs?" Ichigo said surprised. When his mother didn't answer fast enough, he continued. "Me either! He's got that scratchy beard that he rubs on your face, he squeezes you too hard, and--"_

"_Oka-san loves Otou-san's hugs very much, Ichigo!" she said with nervous laughter. "They're just… inconvenient! Especially when you need to go out and do things! Like shopping!"_

"_Oh…"_

"_But you know what?"_

"_What?"_

_She scooped him up into her arms, surprising him, but after she squeezed him tightly, he wrapped his tiny arms around what he could. "I love your hugs more than anyone else's!"_

"_More than Otou-san's?"_

_She laughed. "So much more!"_

"_Cool," he said, a smile gracing his face._

"_I know, right?" She released him, and pushed him so that she could see his face. "C'mon kiddo. Let's go get a present for Otou-san! Got any ideas?"_

_He thought for a second before his eyes lit up. "How about something he can shave his face with!?"_

_Misaki could hardly stand to control him laughter. "You're so silly, but I think that will be a nice present, Ichigo."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yes!" She put him down on the bed beside her, standing up. "Go get your coat, alright? It's chilly outside."_

"_Okay!"_

_She watched him run off to another area of the living room and turned to look out of the large window in the bedroom. Down on the streets were the bustling citizens. A couple chattered together as they held each other's hands tightly. There was an older woman, talking to someone one on her phone, looking very happy, and about seventy-five percent of the people were carrying shopping bags. Feeling comforted that she wasn't the only one who waited until the day before Christmas to do their shopping, she grabbed her coat and slipped it on, cutting off the lights as she exited the room._

_---_

"_Oka-san?" Ichigo called up to his mother. She was squinting looking for the street that led back to the hotel. A bag dangled from Ichigo's hand and in it was a razor, hand-picked by the tangerine-haired boy. They walked close together, hand-in-hand, Misaki fearing they might be separated. _

"_Yes?"_

"_Did Otou-san get those for you?"_

"_Get what?"_

"_Those earrings?"_

_Misaki blinked at the question before kneeling beside her son, ignoring the complaints made by the other pedestrians. She pinched his cheek a bit and kissed his nose. "He sure did." They were two silver hoops, with side-by-side diamonds tracing the outside of them. _

"_I didn't know that Otou-san had good taste."_

_Misaki grinned, standing back up and starting to walk again. "He doesn't! I had to tell him which ones I liked!"_

"_Figures…" the boy frowned._

_Giggling, his mother patted him on the head. "Don't say that. These are my favorite gifts that your father's ever given me, besides you, and Karin and Yuzu. Do you know what he had to go through to get these?" Ichigo shook his head. "Well… we were sitting at home one day when I pointed them out in a magazine. He vowed that he would get them for me for my birthday, one way or another, but when he got to the jewelry store that supposedly sold them, they told him that they wouldn't have them in stock until a week after my birthday!"_

_Ichigo's eyes were wide with interest. "And then what?"_

"_He left that store immediately a flew to Russia, where they were made. That wasn't enough, though! Almost every store there said they didn't sell them. When he got to the last store in the capital, they finally had them in stock! But…"_

"_But?"_

"… _but you know your Otou-san doesn't always think before he acts. He had forgotten to exchange his currency! He rushed out of the store and came back with Russian money… but someone had already bought them! He tracked down the man who had bought them, told him his story, and paid even more than the original price to get these earrings."_

"_Wow…"_

"_Of course I told him that he really didn't need to go through such troubles to get these for me. He had missed so many meetings. Your Otou-san is very lucky that his clients like him very much, or we might be in trouble now!" she giggled. "I remember when he gave them to me, he said something so ridiculous you couldn't help but to find it sweet. Something like," she lowered her voice in imitation, " 'There are plenty of things that I don't have to do, Misaki. I don't have to wash my car. I don't have to sell my hospitals. I don't have ride in public transportation. I don't have to shave… although you say I should. In a world where you don't HAVE to do much… I have to keep my promises to my employees. I have to keep my promises to Ichigo and whatever other children come along. But… most of all… I have to… and always will… keep my promises to you.'"_

"_Well Otou-san doesn't always keep his promises," Ichigo said, a pout tainting his lips. _

"_Oh, but he tries, Ichigo. He tries very hard," Misaki defended him. "You'll keep all of your promises won't you?"_

_Looking up at her, Ichigo could see that her eyes were somewhat vacant and that her smile had mostly faded. They walked in silence for a while taking time to look at all of the displays the stores. When they came to a prominent toy store, Ichigo plastered himself to the robot display case, eyes filling with excitement. _

"_Want one?" his mom asked casually._

"_Ye--no… I'm fine."_

"_Don't be so stubborn. C'mon. I'll get you one!"_

"_They're expensive!" he protested as they entered the store and his mom turned to pick up a box that housed a large red robot. "Oka-san!"_

"_Oh, hush, Ichigo!" she said waving at him and approaching the counter. "I want to get this for you!"_

_Ichigo followed her closely at her heels, giving up on trying to convince her to put the toy back. She did this kind of thing often, he noted. There were countless times he regretted expressing interest in something, because she was terribly observant and was guaranteed to go out of her way to buy him something or take him to a certain location. He thought back to the story about the earrings and smiled, finding that his mother and father weren't totally different._

_The exited the store, Misaki now carrying the razor, and Ichigo, a robot. He closed his eyes in thought before he tugged at the bottom of his mother's dress. "Oka-san?"_

"_Yes?" she nearly sang, her smile reapplied._

"_I'll…" he started, cheeks flushing a bit, "… I'll keep my promises. All of them. No matter what."_

"_Oh, yeah? And what's your first promise?"_

_He scratched at his head. "I want… I mean… I promise to always take care of you. I promise to protect you, Oka-san."_

_She stared at him, struggling to find the words. "How bold! You're going to regret saying that, kiddo!"_

"_W-why?!"_

"_Because I will…most definitely hold you to it!" she declared. "You'll be married--"_

"_I'm not getting married!" he interrupted with a face that looked as if he had eaten something disgustingly sour._

"_Yeah, yeah. You say that now! Anyway… you'll be married, with kids, and maybe a pet, and all you're going to be able to worry about is stopping me from tripping and falling whenever I go outside. Sure you want to do that?" she asked._

"_Yes!"_

"_Oh," she started with a worried expression, "Otou-san will be so jealous! He made a similar promise to me before we got married!"_

"_Did he really?"_

"_He sure did! Ah! Found it!" she pointed at a beautiful building with many windows. They reflected the grey clouds that moved over the city rapidly. "It's our hotel!" _

"_Were we lost?" he asked, referring about the 'found it'._

_His mother laughed nervously. "Of course not!" _

_Ichigo smiled up at her, looking carefully at her hair. "Oka-san, you've got something in your hair…"_

"_Is that right?" she ran her hand through her hair, a clang following soon after._

_Both mother and son looked down in horror as one of the esteemed earrings rolled towards the traffic, b-lining in the direction of a drain in the road. Acting quickly, Ichigo dropped his bag and dashed behind the jewelry, the sound of his mother screaming his name falling on deaf ears._

_---_

_Ichigo had no idea how long he had been sitting there. His clothes were soaked, hands a pale blue from the cold. His orange hair stuck to his forehead and the nape of his neck, eyes and nose both a bright crimson. He had to admit to himself that he hadn't picked the best location to sit and think. He sat in a dirty alleyway, but he figured as long as no one could see him, it would do._

_He wondered if he should have told his father where he was going, but when he saw the expression his dad held as the doctors talked to him, Ichigo knew he needed to get out of that hospital (he had no idea where he was going anyway). He wandered for a good hour before spotting the empty alleyway he now rested in. _

_Holding out his hand he caught the rain, scowling bitterly. Ichigo poured the water from his hand and hugged his knees to his chest, feeling his own hot tears contrasting with the freezing drops that fell from the sky. _

"_Hey, you!" he heard a voice address him as a shadow was cast over him and he couldn't feel the rain anymore. He looked up to see a girl with shiny black hair and piercing violet eyes staring down at him. She wore a simple black pea coat and grey scarf, carrying a vibrant lavender umbrella, that she was currently holding over his head. "What're you doing back here?"_

"_Hiding…" he answered simply, burying his head into his lap._

_She knelt down beside him and ruffled his hair a little. "That's kind of hard when you've got this hair, you know! I could see you from all the way across the street. It practically screams 'Here I am!'" she laughed to herself before falling silent, watching him. After a few moments she tapped him on the shoulder. "You don't… You don't have to hide your face. If you're crying, I can't tell. I'll think it's rain."_

_Ichigo lifted his head slightly to see her plop down next to him, dirtying her chalk-white socks. "What are you doing?"_

"_What's it look like?" she responded with a question._

"_It looks like you're being annoying…"_

_Without hesitation she bonked him hard on the head. "Don't talk to me like that when I'm trying to be comforting!"_

_Ichigo rubbed his head, rising up so she could see all of his face. "You're not doing anything!"_

"_Well they say as long as you're there for someone, you can be comforting!"_

_His temper was doused by her eyes. He could feel them looking straight through them. "I don't… even know who are."_

_She bowed her head at him. "Kuchiki Rukia! Nice to meet you! And you are?"_

"_Kurosaki Ichigo…"_

"_Weird name--!"_

"_Hey!"_

"_--but I like it! Are you from around here?"_

"_No…"_

"_I am! See that building over there?" she pointed to a large and intimidating, black building that loomed considerably higher than the others. "My Nii-sama… well he's not really my Nii-sama. Onee-san is married to him… Anyway! My Nii-sama works there! I live four streets away from that building."_

"_Good for you…" She whacked him again. "What was that for?!"_

"_I don't know," she said, blinking simply and shrugging her shoulders. "Why don't you have an umbrella or a coat with a hood on it, Ichigo?"_

_He scoffed at the use of his first names and looked down at his soaked frame. "It was supposed… to snow today. I didn't think it would rain."_

"_I didn't hear about any snow."_

"_Well it was supposed to!" he snapped._

"_Okay! Okay! Jeez!" she huffed, pushing her bangs out of her face. "Who're you hiding from?"_

"_You ask too many questions!"_

"_And you'll answer every single one… unless you want to be hit again…" she held her fist up as a threat._

"_I'm hiding from everyone… and that means you! Don't you have somewhere to be?"_

_She shook her head. "Not really… I'll be in trouble when they find me, though!" Laughing, she laid back on the wall behind her. "I kind of ran away from my nanny when I saw your hair."_

"_Why?"_

"_Curiosity? I just felt that I really should come over here. Like someone needed me! And here you are!"_

"_I don't need you…"_

"_I don't believe you."_

"_Oh? So how are you going to help me, huh? You don't even know what's wrong with me."_

"_And you don't plan on telling me?"_

"_I sure don't."_

_She hit him again. "That's fine by me."_

_Burying his head again, he couldn't help but wonder why the girl was still hanging around him. There were plenty of people who had probably seen his hair, and chose to keep going on their ways. She, on the other hand, was still there… and she had just started humming._

"_Can you stop that?" Ichigo's muffled voice surfaced from his lap._

"_Why?"_

"_It's too happy for the mood I'm in."_

"_Well, newsflash! The world can't revolve around you. I know that something bad happened to you… I can tell… but I also know that things always get better. I can't imagine what's making you sit out here all by yourself."_

_Ichigo looked at her when she started to hum again. He wiped the water from his eyes. "My Oka-san…"_

"_What about her?"_

"_She died today… about three hours ago." Rukia's eyes widened and her smile vanished almost instantly._

"_What happened?"_

"_We were walking back to our hotel and one of her earrings rolled into the street. I went after it and didn't see the car coming towards me. All I felt was her shove me out of the way and…"_

"_Oh."_

"_Yeah."_

_They sat for a minute, Rukia picking at the buttons of her jacket nervously. "You're pretty silly, Ichigo."_

"_Why do you say that?"_

"_I don't know for sure… but don't you think your Oka-san wasn't sad to be dying? I mean, she must have been happy to save you. She would be very unhappy to lose you."_

"_I-I.. I took her away from my Otou-san. I took her away from Karin and Yuzu… they didn't even g-get to know her."_

"_They won't blame you. I'm sure your Otou-san is happy that you're safe." Rukia sighed and closed her umbrella when she no longer heard the rain pelting it. "Your Oka-san gave you a precious gift; the very same one she gave to you when you were born: life. And now you've got two choices, Ichigo!"_

"_What are they?"_

"_You can either sit here, freezing, making your Oka-san miserable up in heaven, or you can get up, find your Otou-san and stop worrying him, and thus making your Oka-san very happy." Rukia stood up and smoothed out her jacket, fixing her bangs. She extended her hand to him, smiling. "What do you want to do, Ichigo?"_

_He stared at her, blinking once or twice before placing his freezing hand in her own, allowing her to hoist him off of the ground. She laughed at him when he attempted to fix his hair a bit. "Nice choice… but you look rough!"_

"_What do you expect?"_

_She took off her scarf and wrapped it around him, hoping it would warm him up enough. Feeling something wet land onto her eye lashes, she wiped at her eyes and looked up into the sky. Little pellets of white fluff floated down lazily, as if they had all the time in the world to sink onto the city below. Rukia blinked in amazement. "Well… would you look at that! Snow!"_

/0/0/

Tatsuki looked at her plate, taking a bite of her food and sipping the orange juice she had poured for herself. "He was lost. Very lost…" Tatsuki said, mouth full with her breakfast. Gulping down more of her orange juice, she looked back up at her friend. "But you know what? In the midst of all that chaos in his heart and in the city… only she was able to find him." She set her plate down and huffed, an obvious sign that she was full. "Ichigo used to smile all the time, before his mother died, and even though Rukia was able to pull him out of that minor funk, he can't get into the whole Christmas spirit."

Orihime picked up her glass of water, a bittersweet smile gracing her features. "Kuchiki-san's amazing isn't she?"

Tatsuki stared at her with narrowed eyes, not missing her friend's expression. "She's alright…" And then silence fell between them, the only thing breaking it was the sudden roar of thunder, the sound of falling rain, and a rap at their door.

Tatsuki got up and revealed the maid who had come to pick up the dirty dishes from the room, Orihime doing the same except she found herself at the window of their room. She leaned her forehead against it, closing her eyes and breathing deeply.

"If I were the rain…"

/0/0/

_Whew! Dooooone! I hope you enjoyed it! I laughed at myself after I posted Chapter Six… because at the end of it I claim to be doing better at keeping the author notes smaller… and I'm definitely not! xD_

_Something random: Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the title of this story? After I wrote Chapter One, I couldn't think of a title, so I picked something random._

_As always: I read this over a few times, if I missed some minor errors, I apologize!_

_As always - part two: Thank you reviewers! I wish had the time to sit and address every single review, but for now I guess you'll have to do with a simple 'Thanks!' I really do appreciate your encouragement! Although… you guys should stop complimenting __**me**__ so much… I promise you it's going straight to my head._

_Until next time!_

**Chapter Eight- **_**That Crimson Gentleman**_

_Renji barely had enough time to react to her sneeze but managed to guard himself with a throw pillow. After she threw her head back onto the couch in misery, he put the pillow down and placed his hand on her forehead to find that she had an incredible fever. "You're an idiot…"_

"_Well, excuse me for being an idiot!"_


	11. That Crimson Gentleman

_:cough:_

_Hello, Reader-sama._

_:cough:_

_How are you doing?_

_:sniffle:_

_Writing this chapter jinxed me, and now I've got a cold. It sucks a little bit. I can't blame it all on this chapter, though. The weather where I live has been just AWFUL. One day it's thirty-five degrees and the next it's nearly seventy! I don't know about you all, but those sudden changes in temperature always make me sick. Ugh… anyway. I don't have much to say to you up here… but I'm sure the closing notes will be lengthy._

_:cough: :hack: :sniffle: :sneeze: :cough:_

_--Spring-san_

**Disclaimer: **I'm too tired to come up with something interesting this time. I definitely do not own Bleach. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this story. If you're looking for the person who makes money off of the series, seek no further than Kubo Tite… the dude with relatively cool hair.

**Chapter Eight- **_**That Crimson Gentleman**_

"Oi, Rukia," Renji badgered, nudging the addressed girl. She was curled into a ball on the sofa in the hotel's lounge. In the middle of the night she had somehow managed to unravel her robe's tie, and now her body, wrapped inadequately in a skimpy little night gown, was at the mercy of the hotel's cold atmosphere. Only receiving a small moan to his pestering, he shook her shoulder roughly. "Rukia!"

"What?!" she snapped, sitting up and her eyes filling with quick spite. "What? What?! WHAT?!"

"Damn it! Don't flip out on me when I'm trying to help you! What're you doing in the lounge? Why the hell aren't you in your room?"

"_BECAUSE," _she started, adjusting her robe back into its appropriate position, "I tried going upstairs to sleep and couldn't. Got a problem with it?"

"I sure do! Your brother tells me to take care of you, and you're making it a hell of a lot more difficult! I try not to lecture you--"

"Bullshit! I hear nothing BUT lectures from you! It's either that or insults…"

"No! _That's_ bullshit!" After finding that there had been space revealed on the couch, he collapsed next to Rukia, massaging his temples. Sighing deeply, he glanced over to see that Rukia had buried her head into one of the couch's matching pillows. He heard a muffled groan seep through the pillow. "What's your problem?"

As she lifted her head, Renji was surprised that her face looked considerably more tired than it had moments before. Light grey circles of skin positioned themselves under her lavender eyes, and while her face had paled, her nose reddened. Sniffling, she placed the pillow on her lap and laid her head on it so that she was facing Renji. Her lips were slightly parted.

"I think I'm sick, Renji," Rukia remarked lazily. "Sleeping out here wasn't a good idea…"

"Gee… you think? You weren't even dressed properly!" he chided. She sat with her eyes closed, silently taking in air through her lips. "Are you listening to me?"

"Unfortunately…" she replied with a small sniffle and cough. "…You talk too much. My head's killing me…"

"And whose fault is that?" he asked rhetorically. "Isn't it supposed to be common knowledge that you don't sleep out in the open? This is the typical result! What if someone had come down here to get a soda or something and decided to take you, huh?"

"Okay! I get it! I shouldn't have slept out here! You don't have to keep repeating it! Besides, no one could or would want to take me, anyway."

He huffed indignantly and scooted closer to her. She lifted her head questioningly before her eyes closed tightly and she inhaled sharply. Renji barely had enough time to react to her sneeze but managed to guard himself with a throw pillow. After she threw her head back onto the couch in misery, he put the pillow down and placed his hand on her forehead to find that she had an incredible fever. "You're an idiot…"

"Well, excuse me for being an idiot!" she gasped, trying to regulate her breathing again. With narrowed eyes, Renji stood up from the couch and towered over his small friend. She looked up at him with evident distrust. "What do you think you're doing?"

He said nothing, tucking his large hands under her arms. Ignoring her pleas for an explanation, he hoisted her considerably higher than his head. He spun himself, and thus Rukia, around before he descended onto the couch once more, a smirk tinting his lips and the petite girl sitting sideways on his lap.

She placed her tiny hands on his chest and struggled to push herself from his grip. "Renji, you'll let go of me this instance or… or…!"

"Or what?" he asked with a chuckle, sinking into the cushion. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet."

"That's what I thought."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Just proving a point."

"Oh?"

"Yep!"

"And what point would that be?"

"That you're easily kidnapped."

She paused in her squirming to gaze at him. His eyes were fixed in her own, expression one hundred percent serious. It was hard for her to interrupt the gaze, and she wasn't in any hurry to do so. Feeling his firm grip around her body and relaxed in his arms, giving up on any attempt at escape. Instead of her palms resting on his hard chest, she removed them and laid her head on his broad shoulder. At his noticeable stiffening, she giggled softly.

"You might have a point," she whispered, sniffling lightly. "But you have to remember that most people aren't as tall or as strong as you are. I could take on any other person that came along, you know."

He couldn't look at her… or more like he wouldn't. The reddish tone that his face had taken on practically screamed that he was nervous and excited all at the same time. Renji chose, however, to stare blankly at a vending machine that sat silently in a corner of the room. "You don't have to go through all that," muttered Renji, almost inaudibly.

Rukia lifted from his shoulder, leaving Renji with the feeling of her warmth fleeting as fast as it had developed. With one arch eyebrow, Rukia's face found its way inches away from Renji's. She poked him roughly in the forehead. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean, huh?" she asked, slight offensive finding its way to her voice. "Do you want me to just sit there while they take me wherever?! Well, jeez, Renji! I didn't think you wanted me gone that desperately!"

"Don't even go there," he spat back. "You know damn well I don't want you gone!"

"Really? And I suppose the kidnappers will just magically decide that they--!"

"Damn it, I meant that I'd STOP them, YOU IDIOT!"

"Don't call me-- what?" she asked, not entirely sure if she had heard him correctly. She frowned when he didn't answer her immediately repeat himself. "What did you say, Renji?"

"I SAID," he started, his eyes dashing off of her face and to the floor, "I'd… stop them."

"The kidnappers?"

"Who else?!"

She focused on his face, detecting his silent nervousness. "What an rare but nice thing of you to say! I thought I was sick, but are you feelin' okay?"

He glanced back over at Rukia to see a grin appearing on her face, causing the opposite effect to take place on his own. "Don't be such a smartass all the time! Especially when I'm trying to be sincere! Joke later; when I'm not trying to be serious!" he huffed.

"Oh, calm down!" She poked his forehead once more, this time lightly. "For the record, while I appreciate it, you don't have to rescue me! I'm no damsel in distress. The only person I'd ever let get away with kidnapping me would be… well, you."

Renji cleared his throat unnecessarily, letting an uncomfortable silence fall. The only one who seemed to be in discomfort, however, was Renji. He sat fidgeting as discretely as you could, taping his foot lightly and looking at various distractions in the noiseless lounge.

"What are we…" Rukia started after minutes had passed between the two, "What are we doing, Renji?"

"Doing?"

"Yes… doing."

"I don't know," he replied. "We're sitting here. And were arguing just a second ago."

She sighed and laid on his shoulder gingerly again. "Why?"

"We just… were."

She thought briefly before hesitantly speaking. "Renji do you… do you remember what we talked about a couple of months ago?"

He felt his body stiffen once more before he rigidly moved Rukia off his lap and onto the couch. Standing up slowly, he made his way to opposite side of the room. "D-don't bring that up right now, Rukia."

"Damn it, Renji! Why?!" she rose as well, a bit more agitatedly.

"Don't 'Damn it, Renji' me!" he snapped. "We already had this discussion! I won't have it again!"

"What're are you running away from?" she sniffled. This time Renji wasn't sure if it was from her cold or from tears. "Is it me? Is it… US?"

He whipped around as fast as he could and stomped towards the girl, cupping her chin and forcing her to look up at him. Mentally kicking himself, he noticed that her eyes were brimming with translucent tears. She averted her eyes away from his own.

"Rukia, look at me," demanded Renji.

"I won't."

"Damn it… Rukia, look," he said, no less than a plea.

Picking up the desperate tone he carried, she looked back up at him. "What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? Rukia, you know what."

"And so I do. I want the why."

His knees bent until he was eye-level with her, thumbs running gently under her violet orbs to wipe away the forming water. "I--"

"This was hardly the scene I anticipated when I should have a reunion Rukia," a cool voice erupted from behind the two teenagers.

Rukia and Renji were sure they felt their bones and blood freeze over with each passing syllable. They both rotated slowly to face to entrance of the door. Upon the recognition of the owner of the voice, Renji's hands retracted away from Rukia as if a viper had attempted to nip them.

Rukia straightened herself up, tightening her robe and wiping more of her tears away. She approached the figure with a certain meekness that no other individual could bring out of her.

"Nii-sama?"

/0/0/

:_sneeze:_

_Shortest. Chapter. Ever. (I think it might be shorter than the first omake, even!) And I'm so sorry for it! A cliffhanger too (Who the hell's Nii-sama?!?!?! Jaykay…)?! I don't think I've ever given you all one before, though. You guys got a double-whammy this time? Jeez, Spring-san! What're you doing?!_

_:hack:_

_But guess what? We're kickin' up the plot now! Yay! The only downfall to that is that you probably won't be getting chapter nine for a WHILE. I'll be in perfectionist-mode, trying to make sure I word everything in the best way possible. The silver lining? It'll be a damn good chapter! That I promise!_

_As always: I proofread. I miss things. I apologize. You all are probably like, "Just get a damn beta reader already!!!!" And I really don't want to force my work onto somebody who probably has better things to do. I think I'll force my sister, an IchiRuki fan, read it for me from now on. Bwahaha… it would drive me crazy if I were in her shoes, but she deserves it for all the hell she puts me through on a day-to-day basis._

_As always: I love you, and I love the people who review even more. They don't have to, but they're always back._

_:sniffle:_

_I thought I was going to talk a lot down here, but I've taken a nice dose of Nyquil (one of God's greatest gifts to man, if you ask me) and finished my Statistics homework… so I'm sleeeeeeeepy… and I think I'll hit the hay. I'm such a party animal! (I did plan on individually responding to your reviews… but I'll do it next time, I promise.)_

_:cough: :hack: :sniffle: :wheeze: :cough:_

_Catcha on the flipside, dear public!_

_-Spring-san!_

**Chapter Nine- **_**Three Little Words**_

_Haha… I'm not even giving you a preview?! I feel so mean!_


	12. Three Little Words

_Hello, Reader-sama(s)!_

_So much has happened to me since the last time I posted a chapter (and most of it's been bad)! The readers who actually pay attention (and care) are probably wondering, "Did she make it into college or not?!" And the answer is a simple: I have absolutely no idea. Why not? I missed my flippin' early decision deadline! WHY?! A little mishap happened to my application and paperwork (a.k.a. my sister spilled mountain dew all over it)… so (after filling a new one out)… I sent it about five days ago… and now I'm just going to have to wait._

_Thanks to all of your wishes, I did feel much better! After the application incident and feeling stressed out, my sickness came back, but I think it's finally gone. _

_And now it's winter break! Which means I ought to be able to put out at least one more chapter within the next week (we'll see though)._

_Happy Reading,  
__--Spring-san_

**Disclaimer: **_I'd be too busy drawing to write fan fiction if I owned Bleach._

**Chapter Nine- **_**Three Little Words**_

The peculiar thing about the way Kuchiki Byakuya's presence affected the people around him was that it was one hundred percent unintentional. When the chilly air snaked its way through your bones, he had no idea that you were practically shaking in your shoes. He was completely unaware of the way your heart felt like it was pounding so hard that it could easily break the ribcage surrounding it. Every motion, gesture, and word uttered from his lips were delivered coolly and effortlessly, and yet, all of his actions were guaranteed to leave you feeling a little icier than you had before.

His eyes examined the situation, from Rukia to Renji, who were both standing completely flabbergasted. Renji, at this point, was certainly feeling a wave a dread washing over his entire being, and Rukia had began to fidget under the scrutinizing eyes of her brother-in-law. She approached him gingerly, fearing that any wrong movement could bring any further trouble to herself.

Standing with complete indifference in his face, Byakuya was proving to be the polar opposite of unattractive. He presented the typical "cool, dark, and mysterious" air about himself that so many women craved. His hands were tucked elegantly away in the pockets of his long ebony coat that was long enough to only reveal about a foot of his actual navy pant legs. The shiny shoes that adorned his feet tied in with his longer onyx hair that was slicked back so neatly that, even with a magnifying glass, one wouldn't be able to detect a single flyaway.

Stifling a sneeze, Rukia stood an appropriate distance away from Byakuya, gazing up at his face with evident shyness and embarrassment. She held her hands limply at her sides and stood as straight as she could possibly manage. "N-Nii-sama? What are you--?"

"Certainly this is no time for you to pose questions at me," he stated, his tone unbearably neutral. He deliberately refused to make eye contact with the petite girl who stood completely at his mercy in front of him. "Especially after the display I witnessed moments ago. Perhaps you would like to explain?"

"She was--" Renji started quickly, realizing she couldn't face Byakuya on her own; he'd been a part of her current problem as it was.

"--I accidentally injured my toe and Renji was telling me it was a ridiculous thing to cry about…" she answered, hastily cutting off any response he could have possibly had for the man in front of the them.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed without hesitation; there was no way he would buy into such an explanation. "There is, without a doubt in my mind, no way that excuse explains what I saw upon my entrance into the room," he said simply, noticing the way their eyes had mysteriously found something interesting to look at on the ground. "However, it has become perfectly clear to me that neither of you have any intentions of confessing the real situation to me. You two, sit down."

They moved instantly, finding seats on the couch that placed them as far away as possible from one another. Rukia held her shaking hands in her lap, and Renji sat with a posture as perfect that he could manage at the time. Byakuya walked over to the chair that was opposite from the couch and looked at it with clear reproach, sitting in it placidly. Resting his elbow on the armrest, he laid his right cheek on the back of his hand. He stared at the two long enough to make them feel agonizingly uncomfortable before opening his mouth to speak.

"I have gone through a lot to locate the two of you," he remarked. "I nearly flew to the to the academy, but thankfully the school informed me that the two of you were here, which is a much more convenient location. I have to wonder why you decided it to be acceptable for you to leave the school without my permission, Rukia? And better yet, why you, Renji, did not inform me of her decision."

"I-- We attempted to contact you, Nii-sama," Rukia said nervously. "I left several messages at your office to seek your approval, but the secretaries in the main building told me that they would make sure you would receive the information. I am sorry that you did not receive them in enough time."

His frown deepened. "Do not leave again until you have confirmation that I have given my approbation. There will be consequences if these events seem to repeat themselves." She nodded quickly and diverted her eyes away. "Now, I have sought the two of you out for two specific purposes, and neither of them, I think you shall find, are of your favorable opinion."

She bobbed her head again, waiting for him to continue. Rukia could hear a nearly inaudible sigh come from her brother-in-law, deciding that what he was going to say would be grave.

"I am not one to prolong or sugar coat news. I am here to tell you that Hisana, your sister, passed away yesterday morning."

Rukia's mouth dropped open slowly as she blinked her eyes several times. A tiny smile of disbelief could be detected if one looked hard enough. "I… I'm sorry, Nii-sama. C-could you repeat that once more?"

"I will not," he said simply, his eyes narrowing with each passing second. "You have, unfortunately, heard me very clearly. Repeating it would be unnecessary."

Renji cursed the man inwardly for his insensitivity as he peeked at Rukia from the corner of his eyes. He could see the narrow streams of flowing water that poured from her lavender orbs. Feeling his hands twitching, he tucked them behind himself; he wanted to hold and console her. He knew that Rukia was in no condition to speak. "If you don't mind my asking, what happened to her…?"

Byakuya raised his head from its resting spot and laced his hands on top of his crossed legs. "Hisana had not been of sound health since October and insisted that I not bother you with news of her condition. Trusting her judgment, I did not invest in a visit to the hospital until the middle of November, when her sickness worsened considerably.

"Upon our arrival, the doctors took her in immediately and performed a series of tests. She was admitted there for five days before they informed us that there was indeed something wrong with her. You know that she often volunteered at the environmental center. Her doctor was under the impression that she had inhaled toxic spores while working with a certain type of plant. She was, according to the physician, savable. All she needed was an extended bed rest and to take an antitoxin until she was fine.

"What he did not know, however, was that there was no way that we could revivify her. The autopsy revealed that the spores she had breathed in had done considerable damage to her lungs. She went in her sleep."

As soon as he concluded with his explanation, Rukia buried her face in to her hands, sobbing quietly to herself, and Renji rubbed his temples in frustration. Byakuya sat back slightly in his chair noiselessly allowing Rukia to cry. The thickened atmosphere surrounded the three for several minutes before Renji hesitantly spoke again.

"You uh… said that you were here for two reasons. I guess that telling us that news was your first. What's the second?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

As Byakuya readied himself to reply, the three were able to pick up the indistinct arguing of two young men. The voices neared them, becoming louder and louder until they were able to hear them clearly.

"How DARE you put Inoue-san in such danger. And you almost forced her to sleep on the street, you HEATHEN."

"Don't you go callin' me that! I didn't ask for any of the stuff that happened yesterday to go down! I did my best to help her out. I don't recall you being there to take a knife to the hand. Where were you again? With your new girlfriend?"

"Don't refer to Kurotsuchi-san as my 'girlfriend' when nothing has been established. And if I would have been there, you can bet that I would have suffered a knife wound for Inoue-san, as well."

The young man snorted. "There's something I'd like to see."

"And if it ever comes to it, I--!"

The two figures turned the corner to reveal a tangerine-haired boy and a young man with sleek hair and glasses. They looked at the three that had turned to them, Rukia and Renji exhibiting puzzled expressions. Ichigo and Uryuu exchanged glanced before examining the situation that was playing out in front them.

Ichigo quickly detected the redness of his petite friend's eyes and stepped towards her, eyeing Byakuya as he passed him. He knelt down next to Rukia, his face scrunched with a fine mix of confusion and concern. "Oi, Rukia… what the hell's going on?" he asked in a near mutter. "You've been crying, haven't you?"

Her eyes met his only for a moment before she turned her head to wordlessly seek Renji's help. Renji scratched the back of his head, taking a deep breath and leaning forward so that he could see Ichigo behind Rukia. "This is, uh," he started, directing Ichigo's attention to the older man with a hand, "Kuchiki Byakuya… Rukia's brother-in-law."

Ishida had adjusted himself in the doorway, his hands in his pockets and body leaning against the portal's framing. His face showed little emotion, with the exception of his eyes, which were looking charily at Byakuya. Ichigo stood up, straightening himself out and looking at the introduced brother-in-law through narrowed eyes.

"And?" Ichigo probed, not taking his chocolate orbs from the eldest Kuchiki. "What's he got to do with the fact that Rukia's sittin' there crying?"

"Well, he--"

"Renji, I am starting to wonder why you find it necessary to answer all of this young man's questions, as if you're his personal reporter," Byakuya interrupted.

"I just--"

"No excuses are necessary. If he desires answers, he will ask them politely and he will seek them from me. Otherwise, you need not say anything."

Ichigo felt his blood boiling as it ran through his veins while his fists clenched tightly at his sides. His scowl had noticeably deepened. He looked over to Ishida, as if asking him a wordless question. Ishida nodded and walked to position where he could address Byakuya himself, fearing if Ichigo were the one to ask the questions, a quarrel would ensue.

"Excuse me, Kuchiki-san, for imposing on what looks to be a personal matter," Ishida started as politely as he could manage in spite of his irritation, "but Kurosaki and myself are close friends of Rukia's. Could you please explain to me what is going on?"

Byakuya stood from his seat, not needing to adjust his clothes at all, and closed his eyes in thought, debating on whether he was obligated to answer the questions coming his way. Finally, he spoke. "Minutes ago, I informed Rukia that her older sister had passed away," he replied matter-of-factly, causing the newest arrivals to look immediately at their mourning friend with sympathy in their eyes.

Ishida resisted the urge to express his condolences at that time and addressed Byakuya once more. "And that was the only reason you sought her out?"

"Certainly not," Byakuya said, turning to face his sister-in-law. "I also came to inform her that she is no longer attending the academy; that she is to be home schooled from now on."

The three teenage boys felt their bodies tense up as Byakuya spoke. Renji's eyes had widened, but Rukia simply sat there, staring blankly at nothing in particular. Ishida had raised his hand as if he were about to protest, but Ichigo beat him to the punch.

"Now hold on just a minute!" he practically shouted. "You're just going to take her away? Doesn't she get a say in all of this? I'm sure as hell that she doesn't want that!"

Byakuya's eyebrow arched. "Boy, you will hold your tongue if you know what is good for you. As her legal guardian I am entitled to make such a decision. However, if she disagrees with my choice, she may tell me so, and I will leave immediately."

The rest of the company turned to look at Rukia as she gazed into the eyes of her brother-in-law, allowing enough time to pass for an uncomfortable silence to set in. Renji felt his chest tighten with each passing second and began to lightly tap his foot as he waited for her reply, knowing damn well which decision she'd choose.

"Rukia," Ichigo finally said, "go ahead an tell him no. He said he'd leave. You don't have to go with him."

"No…" Rukia whispered to herself, looking at her orange-haired friend with wide eyes.

"You hear that?" Ichigo said turning to Byakuya, a small smile forming. "She said no."

"No!" Rukia exclaimed as she stood up for her seat.

"I heard you the first time, Rukia. I got it."

"I know you heard me, but you're most definitely not understanding me."

"What's there to misunderstand about 'no'?"

"That I'm saying 'no' to you."

"…What?"

She quickly averted her eyes from his betrayed ones. "I'm… I am going with Nii-sama."

Renji sighed quietly to himself. He had anticipated her answer from the very beginning. She was hardly in a position to refuse Byakuya.

Ichigo grabbed Rukia's shoulder and crouched so that he was eye level with her, an emotion akin to disgust had lodged itself in his eyes as he forced her to make eye contact with him. "You've got to be shittin' me, Rukia," he said in a low growl, his tone dripping acid. "You know damn well that you don't want to go with him. I'm not going to let you, either."

"What?!" Rukia struggled and succeeded to release herself from his tight grip. "Kurosaki Ichigo, you have no say or control over what I choose to do! Just keep out of it and back up to your room or something. The helicopter leaves in an hour… You'll miss it if you don't leave soon."

"Fuck the helicopter…" Ichigo spat. "You talk as if I can't just arrange another one to come! I'm not going anywhere until you take back that decision. I won't allow you to do something you definitely don't want to do."

"How dare you!" Rukia hissed softly, attempting to keep her composure. "Who are you to say that I am not making a decision I want? Listen to me, and do so carefully. I am content with leaving with Nii-sama and being home schooled. Don't worry about me."

She slid past him and settled beside her brother who watched the situation play out in front of him, looking almost bored at the teenager's behavior. Ichigo, at this point, was beyond the point of being able to calm down. He glared at Byakuya momentarily before preparing to lunge at the man. Ishida began to move to stop him, but Renji had already grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back and forcing him face flat onto the sofa.

"What the hell are you doing, Renji?"

"Stopping you from doing something you'd definitely regret later on."

"You know," Ichigo started with a bitter smirk, "something tells me that you're taking the wrong side. Are you just going to let her go?"

Renji's brows knitted together and his eyes narrowed. "If… that's what she wants… then yeah… I'm going to let her go with him. That's her own choice isn't it?"

"… You're not going to be able to see her often."

"What are you talking about?" Renji asked, easing up on his handicapped friend. "I'm going with her."

"What the HELL is wrong with the two of you?!" Ichigo squirmed. "Have you both lost your damned minds?"

A small smirk appearing on his lips, Renji sighed out, "Think what you want. Do what you want… just… don't try to stop us."

Renji released his friend, promptly causing Ishida do approach Ichigo with a certain weariness. Standing up, and heading over to Byakuya and Rukia, Renji looked at the older man as calmly as he could.

"Is that… alright…?" Renji asked, surprisingly shyly.

"Is what alright?" Byakuya posed a question back at him, knowing full well what he was asking.

"Is it alright if I stay here with you and Rukia?"

Byakuya looked him over carefully, certain that it would have probably been a better option to decline his query, but answered with a simple, "It is."

Renji bowed his head as means of a thank you before he, Byakuya, and Rukia glanced over at Ishida and Ichigo.

Closing his eyes slowly, Byakuya slid his long coat off and draped it over Rukia's underdressed shoulders. He walked over to the exit gracefully and looked over his shoulder. "Button that up and come. I have a meeting to attend to soon."

"What about our stuff?" Renji asked.

"I'll have someone retrieve it later. **Let us go**."

As he disappeared, Renji was the first to follow him out, taking the time to send a guilty glance to his two friends before he did.

Rukia stood silently before she gazed at Ichigo, unable to hide the unshed tears that had formed. She glided over to where he still laid on the couch and kneeled beside him, Ishida moving out of her way. "Don't follow us. Don't move an inch. Just… stay here, okay? It will be better for the both of us."

"R-Rukia, I," he started.

"If you don't," she said through gritted teeth as she stood up, "I won't ever forgive you."

"Bye, Ishida." She walked slowly over to the portal and forced a sad smile onto her features. "Goodbye, Ichigo."

/0/0/

"So," Orihime started, struggling to hold her umbrella and lift her suitcase into one of the waiting taxis, "Kuchiki-san and Abarai-kun decided to stay here a little longer? For what?"

She had asked no one in particular, but Ishida decided he'd answer her as he helped her store her last suitcase in the vehicle. "They said they wanted to get some extra shopping finished."

"I see," she said quietly, her gaze straying over to Ichigo who was standing stoically at the entrance of the hotel. She blinked, put on the brightest smile, and walked over to him, holding her umbrella over his already damp hair. "Kurosaki-kun seems so far away. Are you alright? Is your hand hurting you?"

He stared down at her blankly before he nodded slowly. "I'm okay." Briefly forgetting the Rukia situation, his mind momentarily wandered back to the story he'd been told about Orihime's past. "A-are you?"

Arching her eyebrow and smiling even wider, she patted him on the shoulder. "Always."

_I don't believe you_, he thought sadly, noticing that Ishida was gesturing to them that it was time to leave and grabbing Orihime's small hand unconsciously.

"K-Kurosaki-kun?" she questioned meekly.

Saying nothing, he pulled her towards the taxis and led her to the car that Tatsuki had already situated herself in. He let go and walked over to the other car, climbing in silently. Orihime looked curiously at the vehicle before sitting solemnly next to Tatsuki.

/0/0/

_Oh, noez! Rukia! Renji! Come baaaaaaaaaack! D:_

_The next few chapters are going to be my favorite ones to write, I think. I've been excited to get to them since I started this story._

_Something random (one): Is everyone stoked for chapter 340 of Bleach?! I know I am! Back to the IchiUlqui fight, right? RIGHT?! Oh, and an exciting little morsel of IchiHime numerology: 340 = 3 + 4 = 7~! Yay!_

_Something random (two): So… I pick all of my chapter titles from song titles and lyrics… and I'm just finding it funny that they always seem to tie into the chapter. _

_As always (part one): I read. I read again. And I still manage to miss a few things. Forgive me?_

_As always (part two): This can't really be an "as always", now that I think about it, because I don't always do this, but let's go!_

**Ancestor's Dragon**: Ahaha! No, I don't live in NJ. I live about two hours from the capital (I'd give the state, but it's embarrassing!). I feel a little better knowing that I'm not the only one suffering through sucky weather, though! Thank you! :D

**Gaara-l0ve: **Everyone needs a little RenRuki, right? I really do love them together. Good for us both, getting over our colds! Thanks bunches!

**SunsetRainbow: **How DARE you damn my Byakuya-sama?! I. Will. Fight. You. …No, just kidding. Thank you!

**Blitch: **IchiHime is indeed the main pairing, but I have to sneak in a bit of RenRuki and IshiNemu in there every once in a while, right? RIGHT?! And I whole heartedly agree about needing more IchiHime writers. :sighs sadly: Thanks a lot!

**XNocturnalxShadowx: **Ah! That's one of the better compliments I hope to receive. I try very hard to keep the characters as close to the real deal as possible. Thank you so is most definitely my favorite Bleach male. He's so effortlessly cool!

**Bloodyrose1294: **Sorry! I really did feel cruel not giving a preview, but I've got one for this chapter? Thank you for the get well soon!

**YinYangTwin1**: I don't know… o.0 What WAS that all about?! :smiles: All will be revealed… eventually. XD

**The Grieving General: **Ahaha… I won't let you (unintentionally) force me to reveal spoilers! But haha… Spanish club. Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

**Straw Hat: **I'm really sorry to hear about that. Just recently my grandmother was given only a month or two to live, but I'm grateful that she should at least be able to make it through this Christmas. Thank you for reading!

**Atemu'sLotus: **What did she yell? "Goodness me!" I really wanted to write Hisana into this story, but for the sake of the plot, I had to kill her. One day I'm going to write some ByakuyaHisana. Thank you so much for reading and all of the reviews!

**Swordie Von Demon: **Thanks a lot for reading! Sorry for the lack of a preview! :D I will definitely think about those pairings!

I hope to see you all around the next chapter! :D

**Chapter Ten- **_**Tell Me What to Do**_

_Despite the cheery atmosphere her classmates produced, Orihime couldn't help but notice the solemn, black cloud that surrounded a certain tangerine-headed boy. He leaned against a windowsill with crossed arms, staring blankly out onto the moonlit campus. _

_She approached him cautiously, tapping his shoulder and causing him to jump at the contact. Smiling nervously, she offered him the glass of punch that she had yet to drink from. He accepted it gingerly, gazing down at his newest friend curiously as she proceeded to lean on the same windowsill next to him._

"_I've been thinking, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime remarked with a small grin. "I was going to wait for you or Ishida-kun, because I have a feeling he knows, to tell me, but…"_

_Ichigo adjusted himself on one arm so that he could watch her find an appropriate way to say whatever she was trying to get out. "But?"_

"…_but I want to know why Abarai-kun and Kuchiki-san really stayed in the city."_


	13. Tell Me What To Do

_Hello, lovely/handsome Reader-sama! Have you fared well?_

_I'm a little concerned about myself at the moment. It's a well known fact around my friends that I'm an individual who definitely values her sleep. Any given night, I hit the hay around nine. The only exceptions are if I'm out of the house and can't exactly pass out (like at the café or bookstore). At this moment, however, I'm going on about 30 hours of being awake and it worries me… I suffer from insomnia from time to time, but it's never been this extreme. I guess I'm going to have to find some way to make myself go to sleep :coughnyquilcough: _

_About Chapter Nine: I wasn't terribly pleased with it. I may or may not go back and re-write the thing…_

_Let's move forward!_

_--Spring-san_

_**Disclaimer: **… I'm very broke. I make no money whatsoever._

**_Chapter Ten- Tell Me What to Do_**

Bustling around her dorm room's small kitchen, Orihime attempted to mix a concoction while simultaneously reaching for several ingredients. She exhaled heavily, pausing in her manic stirring to brush her copper bangs back under the pastel pink bandana she had wrapped on her head. The counters were a mess, the petite girl noted to herself. A knocked over bag of flour was next to a pile of chopped peaches that Orihime wasn't quite pleased with.

Her roommate sat comfortably on their living room's recliner, a magazine held high up to her face. Hearing her friend's sigh, she closed the magazine and laid it on her lap, looking over the chair and raising one of her eyebrows. "You know, Orihime, that one, you don't HAVE to take any food, two, this party's way too short notice, and three, we don't have to go, right?"

Orihime only glanced at her for a moment before turning back to her work, a noticeable smile adorning her features. She grabbed an egg with her left hand and cracked it against the counter, letting its contents slide into the large bowl she was using. While resuming her stirring, a giggle managed to escape from her pink lips. "First of all, this party was hardly short notice! Asano-kun has been excited about it for a few weeks, now. I think it just--"

"Slipped our minds?" Tatsuki finished, picking her magazine back up and flipping through its pages. "Secondly?"

"Secondly," Orihime started again, "We promised we would go when it was first brought up!"

In a near snort, Tatsuki asked, "Even if that did happen, which I definitely don't remember, they won't remember! We could simply slip out of it and hang out here, right?"

"Certainly not! This is the last time we're going to see each other over break!" her friend exclaimed as she dumped an unknown spice into the batter from which, Tatsuki now assumed, a cake was supposed to appear. "Asano-kun kindly left a reminder by the door this morning. It should be sitting on the table…"

Tatsuki curiously leaned forward and picked up a white card, scoffing at a sloppily written "See you there!" and a poorly drawn cartoon of Keigo himself in the bottom right corner. What're we? In kindergarten?! she thought, tossing it back onto the table before leaning back again. "And you're baking that, because?"

"Tatsuki-chan should know that my tastes are… different compared to everyone else's! I'd feel better taking something I know I'll eat instead of having to decline whatever they have prepared." She stopped stirring and picked up a knife, starting to chop up strawberries. "Besides, I've made sure there's enough for everyone, if they want it."

"Ah…" Tatsuki simply said, immediately assuring herself that it was an unlikely possibility. "What is it?"

"A cake!"

"I figured as much. What kind?"

"Oh! Well… I've made regular cake batter." _Alright,_ Tatsuki remarked mentally. "Added a bit of vanilla bean and almond extract, because they both offer great flavor." _She actually sounds like the owner of a internationally renowned bakery_. "I chopped some peaches as a topping, but I don't like the way they turned out… so I'm going to add strawberry instead."_ I think I'd actually eat this one_! "But for kick--" _Oh, no…_ "--I've thrown Cheyenne pepper into the batter and cream cheese icing!"_ Ugh…_ "And in between the layers of cake I'm going to spread some red bean paste!"

Involuntarily holding her newly-found, queasy stomach, Tatsuki donned a weary smile. _Never mind…_ "Sounds good."

"You think so?" Orihime questioned, a bit of surprise in her tone.

"That cake will be very…" Tatsuki tried to find a proper word. "… It'll be very you."

"Aw, thank you, Tatsuki-chan! It's one of my newer creations! I'll have to tell you about the other ones!"

"A-ah! Just focus on your work for now!" she said quickly. "There'll be plenty of time for you to tell me about them, right?" My stomach can hardly handle that right now…

"Yes!" Orihime agreed brightly before a look of realization washed over her features. "Oh, but Tatsuki-chan's supposed to be leaving tomorrow morning for America, right?"

Tatsuki blinked. "Oh, that's right, huh!"

"Did you forget?!"

"Ha… yeah. There's been a lot going on lately."

"Oh, Tatsuki-chan'll have to rush to get everything ready tonight," she commented sadly.

Tatsuki turned in her chair once more to see a disappointed smile on Orihime's face. "That's okay, though," she said, her expression softening. "You'll tell me all about your new recipes to help pass the time while I'm packing, right?"

Orihime gazed at her friend, beaming at Tatsuki and chopping the strawberries thoughtlessly. "Yes, Tatsuki-chan! Of course! I have so many-- OUCH!" she shrieked, looking down at her hand.

Tatsuki threw her magazine aside and stood up immediately, rushing into the kitchen. Grabbing Orihime's hand, she quickly inspected her left hand to see a relatively deep cut on her left index finger. She frowned when she saw the delayed blood start to seep from the wound. Orihime blinked back her tears as Tatsuki dragged her over to the sink and began to run water over her finger.

"I told you to focus on your work. You were slicing them so carelessly!" the raven-headed girl chided tenderly, unable to conceal her obvious worry. "Hey, don't make that face."

She was referring to the clearly distraught expression that covered Orihime's countenance. Her eyes were brimming with transparent tears, cheeks flushed. "S-sorry, Tatsuki-chan…"

Tatsuki grinned softly. "For what? Don't be. Come on… let's get this cleaned up so you can finish your awesome cake, alright?"

The tomboy didn't wait for a response but cut off the sink and proceeded to pull Orihime in the direction of their restroom. Orihime nodded behind her, an equally soft smile on her face.

/0/0/

As they approached the door to Keigo and Mizuiro's dorm room, Orihime and Tatsuki could hear muffled commotion leaking through its corners. The two girls exchanged nervous glances before Orihime rapped on the door. After making their presence known, Orihime stood back, gripping on to a large gift bag filled with neatly wrapped gifts. Tatsuki, looking more than displeased, held onto the creation Orihime had made.

Finding themselves standing at the door longer than necessary, Orihime and Tatsuki looked at each other once more. Tatsuki handed the cake to Orihime and proceeded to fall into a fighting stance. She took a deep breath and kicked the door open furiously. As it swiftly swung open, Orihime peeked through the door to see Chizuru and Keigo staring at her, mouths agape. After passing the cake back to Tatsuki, she strode through the door with an all-too-delightful smile on her face.

"Sorry for scaring you, Asano-kun. Tatsuki-chan and I had already tried knocking," she said, walking into the living room area of his dorm and setting her bag down beside the table. She glanced around the room to see who all had decided to attend. Mizuiro, Keigo, and Chizuru sat comfortably around the table, playing what appeared to be a card game. While Chad acted as an onlooker in a near-by chair.

Noticing a small table covered in light snacks and punch, Orihime grabbed a glass and scooped some of the pink liquid into it. She watched Tatsuki take a seat next to Mizuiro as he handed her a few cards to join in the game, what ever it was that they were playing. She barely had time to register that another friend with orange hair was in the room as well, since she heard Tatsuki call her.

"Orihime!" she said loudly, motioning for her to come over. "You don't have to stand, you know."

"Yes! Orihime-chan should definitely come take a seat in my lap!" Chizuru interrupted, patting her lap for emphasis. "I'll take good care of you!"

Tatsuki promptly threw a pillow at her face, causing her to fall back slightly. "Shut up, you lesbian! There's plenty of room on this couch. She doesn't need or want to sit on your lap!"

"Oh, stop being so stingy! Let her decide what she wants to do!" she yelled back, removing the pillow from her face.

"Actually," Orihime chimed in, "I'm fine standing!" She walked over and stood next to the five of them with a nervous smile. The all shot her confused glances. "That's okay, right?"

"Yeah," Mizuiro answered with a small grin before he laid three cards down on the table. "I want to trade these out."

"WHAT?!" Keigo asked dramatically. "You can't do that! You've already switched out cards!"

"Last time I checked, I get to switch cards each time my turn comes around?"

"No, you don't!" Chizuru added in. "That would be cheating~!"

Tatsuki frowned. "What the hell are you two spouting? He does get to switch those out! Are your brains fried or something? The vacation getting to your head already?"

Chizuru and Keigo huffed indignantly, not quite feeling up to arguing with the karate champ. Keigo snatched the cards his friend had placed down and grudgingly handed him three new ones from the remainder of the deck. Pleased, Tatsuki nodded and the group studied their hands of cards.

After a few moments, Keigo's expression brightened and a smirk crept up his lips. "If you know what's good for you," he said confidently, "you'll throw your hand in now. I've got this in the bag!"

Chizuru grinned. "I don't think so. My hand is one of the more amazing combinations you can obtain."

"I don't know, guys. Mine's pretty decent," Mizuiro chimed.

With a mischievous smirk, Tatsuki suggested, "Perhaps we should just lay them down at the same time, hm? So that the three of you can lose?"

"Let's do it!" Keigo agreed. "One! Two! Three--!"

They all slammed their cards on the table and quickly began to examine each other's cards. Keigo's smile widened as he stood up, striking a victory pose. "I win! Woohoo!"

"No, you didn't," Mizuiro said calmly, pointing at a hand that he had overlooked.

"What?! Who does THAT belong to!?" Keigo cried indignantly, falling back into his seat.

"It's mine," a baritone voice replied.

The group turned slowly to look at Chad, who had his hand up as if to say, "here I am". Tatsuki smiled when she saw Chizuru and Keigo's mouths drop.

"When the hell did he even get dealt a hand?!" they both asked.

"Uhm…" Mizuiro started. "Before Tatsuki joined in?"

Tatsuki blinked before she started to laugh, causing the others to look at her incredulously. It didn't take long before Mizuiro joined in and Chad's half-hidden face produced a grin.

"What's so funny?" Keigo queried, dramatic tears streaming from his eyes.

"Your faces," Tatsuki answered instant. "You really should see them. In fact, hold that expression."

She dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone, snapping a quick picture and holding it out for Chizuru and Keigo to see. Chizuru started to laugh instantly.

"How stupid you look!" she exclaimed.

"Oh?!" Keigo asked. "Perhaps you have failed to see your own idiotic expression?!"

"What?!"

Tatsuki chuckled for a moment before she turned her attention to her abnormally silent friend. Nudging her softly in her side and looking up at Orihime, Tatsuki asked worriedly, "Hey… you okay?"

"Huh?" she asked, snapping out of her thoughts. She smiled as brightly as she could once she noticed Tatsuki's worried expression. "Oh, I'm fine. Just spacing out." Glancing through the corner of her eyes she gazed at Ichigo. "Tatsuki-chan, I'll be back in a second, okay?" Tatsuki nodded and watched her friend take off.

Despite the lively atmosphere her classmates produced, Orihime couldn't help but notice the solemn, black cloud that surrounded a certain tangerine-headed boy. He leaned against a windowsill with crossed arms, staring blankly out onto the moonlit campus.

She approached him cautiously, tapping his shoulder and causing him to jump at the contact. Smiling nervously, she offered him the glass of punch that she had yet to drink from. He accepted it gingerly and with a smile, gazing down at his newest friend curiously as she proceeded to lean on the same windowsill next to him.

"I've been thinking, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime remarked with a small grin. "I was going to wait for you or Ishida-kun, because I have a feeling he knows, to tell me, but…"

Ichigo adjusted himself on one arm so that he could watch her find an appropriate way to say whatever she was trying to get out. "But?"

"…but I want to know why Abarai-kun and Kuchiki-san really stayed in the city."

His smile faltered as he laughed nervously. "What're you talking about, Inoue? Didn't Ishida tell you that they were going to stay in the city?"

"Of course he did," she answered quickly. "I just think it would be courteous for you to tell me the real reason, right?"

He averted his gaze from hers, finding himself staring out the window again. Orihime watched him patiently. Ichigo stood in turmoil, debating on whether or not he should just tell her.

"You know," Orihime remarked after a few minutes had passed between them, "that Kuchiki-san is my friend, as well." When he suddenly looked at her, she continued. "Although I haven't known her at all as long as you have, I still consider her to be one of my greatest friends. This matter is also troubling you, right, Kurosaki-kun? I don't… I don't want this worry fall all on your shoulders, because I also… think of you as one of my dearest friends."

She grinned brightly, looking into his overly-blinking eyes. This was not the time, he noted to himself, to notice the way the moonlight was playing against her features; Inoue was his friend, after all. Feeling his cheeks heat up, he placed a hand across the bridge of his nose as he looked out the window once more.

"I don't know why it's bothering me so much," he started. "I mean, it was a personal choice. Both of them decided that they would stay there. Who am I…? What right do I have to say that she can't stay there?"

Orihime blinked a few times. "What happened when she decided to stay?"

"Well… Ishida and I found them while we were… having a disagreement…"

/0/0/

"And then she just turned around and left. I guess I don't really have a right to decide that she didn't want to go."

After Ichigo finished his narration to the petite girl beside him, he looked at her as he waited for any kind of feedback she would offer. He felt himself gulp when he saw her usually peppy demeanor suddenly fly out of the window.

Her eyebrows knitted together and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're right, you know? Kuchiki-san made that decision on her own. Abarai-kun even made the choice to follow her. Since she's originally from there, she must have friends there. Her only remaining family is there. Do you REALLY think that you could EVER step in and throw that out the window, because you THINK she really didn't want to go? Do you truly believe that that would be the absolutely right thing to do?"

"I-Inoue, I--"

"Oh, Kurosaki-kun, I'm kidding," she interrupted him as her normal smile came back in an instant. "I'm certain that if anyone knows Kuchiki-san the best, it's not her brother-in-law or whatever friends she has there. It's you… and if you're certain that she was absolutely positively unhappy about leaving, then it must be true." She paused before she looked at him seriously. "…My only question is: What are you going to do?"

He stared at her, still trying to catch up from the sudden changes in her tones and rubbing the temples of his forehead. "What I'm going to do, huh?" She nodded. "I think… I'm going to go get her, and bring her back."

Orihime giggled as she heard his expected answer fall from his lips. "Oh, good! When do we leave?"

"As soon as--" he stopped. "We?"

"Yes?"

"So, you're going?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," she said again, wondering where his confusion was stemming. "Like I said, I'm Kuchiki-san's friend as well. Besides, I have a gift for her and Abarai-kun, and they deserve to have a good Christmas, right?"

He grinned at her response. "I guess you're right."

"May I suggest another companion?" she asked suddenly, throwing him off guard.

"Who?!"

Pointing over her shoulder, Orihime directed Ichigo's attention to the solid Chad, who, much to the dismay of the others, was once again beating the group sitting around the table.

"Something tells me that security's going to be tight," she joked, not entirely expecting the endeavor to be terribly problematic. Ichigo nodded at the choice.

He placed one of his hands on her shoulder briefly, causing her to flush at the contact. "We'll leave tomorrow morning, alright? Meet us at the pond at seven-thirty. I don't know how long we're be gone, but we can't exactly take a lot of luggage…"

"I'll manage!" she reassured him.

He bobbed his head once more and walked towards the door, grabbing Chad's attention and motioning for him to follow. Chad placed his last winning hand down on the table, stood up, and promptly followed him out the door.

After a few moments, she approached the card game, tapping Tatsuki on the shoulder.

"Hey, Tatsuki-chan?"

"Yeah?" she blinked.

"Your helicopter flies out of here at six tomorrow morning."

"That early?!"

Orihime nodded. "We both have to wake up early in the morning, so I was think it was about time we turned in for the night."

Tatsuki's eyebrow arched. "You don't have to get up early for anything."

"Yes, I do! Not only do I have to send you off, I've decided to move my business trip up two days. I have a lot to accomplish over this vacation, after all."

"So… you want to leave?"

As Orihime nodded, Tatsuki thanked the heavens for an early escape. After being grabbed and pulled, Orihime could barely get out a "Your gifts are in the bag!" or hear the protesting screams over her classmates.

_/0/0/_

_A rescue mission?! To save our favorite petite firecracker of a shinigami?! You knew it was coming._

_I think I may write an omake for Chizuru, Keigo, and Mizuiro. We simply don't see enough of them, you know? _

_As usual: You get it by now. Mistakes = Sorry. Readers = Thanks so much (no, really)! I don't have the stamina to go and address every review this time, but there was a comment about not like Ichigo when he talks rough and I have to say that I totally, one hundred percent agree. I hate having to write a worked up Ichigo._

_OH! And you people better be damned grateful right now. You guys got two chapters so close together and my Detective Conan and Speed Racer fics haven't gotten anything in quite a bit!_

_Fifteen of you just said, "Well, shut the hell up, Spring-san and go write your other fics then!"_

_I was kidding. I love you guys. Really, I do. :D_

**_Chapter Eleven- The Thanks I Get_**

_"So my dad knows we're leaving?!" the orange-headed teenager asked anxiously._

_"Not… exactly?" he answered._

_"What's that--?!"_

_"Just take the papers and go! You really are going to miss the next copter out of here, and then those papers won't be of any use."_

_Ichigo took another glance at the faux waiver one last time before he looked up at Urahara again. It didn't take the store owner long to figure out that there was still one last thing weighing on his mind. _

_"Something you'd like to ask?" he asked teasingly._

_Ichigo's eye twitched as he attempted to keep his composure. "Yeah, actually…"_

_"Mhm?"_

_"I-- none of us know our way around that part of the city…" he mumbled._

_"Oh, is that all?" he asked with a small chuckle. "You're in luck. A very good friend of mine is here visiting. I'm sure she wouldn't mind taki--"_

_"Oi, I'm back," and older woman's voice called from the back of the shop. "This place really is out in the middle of nowhere, huh? It took forever to just find some soda!"_

_"Well, speak of the devil!" Urahara exclaimed goofily. _

_The four teenagers heard her foot steps approaching and the clattering of junk that had been left on the floor. As she stuck her head out from the sliding screen, Urahara inwardly grinned when the woman's and the teenagers' faces fell into the same blank expression. _

_They looked at her with pure amazement. A gorgeous woman with a tawny complexion and impressively long black hair stared back at them. She blinked a couple of times before sending a wordless query at the shopkeeper._

_"Guys," he said addressing the students, "this is Shihoin Yoruichi. She will be your guide during your trip."_


	14. The Thanks I Get

_Why, hello there Reader-sama!_

_I do so hope that you've been well. I've quite honestly had a lot going on, and, thankfully, it's mostly been good._

_Number one thing! I got into my first choice (college)! Yay yay yay yay! I probably would've had to injure someone if I wouldn't have gotten in… considering all the crap I went through with my application and essay. I'm freakin' excited. One step closer to moving to Japan! :D_

_Number two! The main reason I haven't updated in a while is because I've been going through a period of reading way to much shoujo manga. Why is that a big deal? I find it a little difficult to effectively keep shounen manga characters in, well, character when all you've got buzzing swirling around your head are the attitudes of shoujo manga characters. I see a distinct difference between the two and it was keeping me from writing this story. :bows deeply: I'm sorry for my incompetence._

_Number three! I'm sorry this chapter isn't very long. I need to get back into the groove of writing before I start putting out 4,000 word chapters again. If it's any consolation, there's a new character appearing. I wonder who it could be? (lawlz… you already know if you read the previews…)_

_Number four! I didn't bother to proofread this time round. There is not distinct reasoning… I just really don't feel like it. Feel free to inform me of any significant errors._

_Eternally grateful,  
Spring-san_

**Disclaimer: **_I'm tempted to not add these in anymore… You know that Kubo-sensei is diligent in his work enough to put out an installment every week. I, on the other hand, have these big-ass gaps in between. :/ I think it's obvious that I'm not Kubo-sensei or earning any money off of this story._

**Chapter Eleven- **_**The Thanks I Get**_

"I think that's everything!" Tatsuki declared, wiping the miniscule amount of sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand. "Hygiene products. Clothes. Shoes. Phone…"

"Don't forget your camera!" Orihime reminded her quickly. "I haven't been to America for a few years! You have to take plenty of pictures, okay? Make sure that Arisawa-san takes a lot from your victory, alright?"

"I got it," she said, stuffing the camera into the front of her suitcase. "Now… I really do have everything."

Pushing down on the suitcase forcefully, the tomboy zipped it with great struggle. Once she had made sure it was secure, she let out a loud sigh, flopping down on her bed for the last time of that year. Tatsuki snuggled her face into the closest pillow, taking notice of her friend who was busying herself with here own bag. She observed Orihime for a few moments before addressing her.

"Say, Orihime?" she started.

"Yes, Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime responded absentmindedly.

"Why are you leaving so early? You pick up on things fast enough. It's not like you're going to need SO much extra time to learn up at your headquarters. You could just stay here and relax and more."

"Eh?!" Orihime exclaimed as she spun around to face her friend. "I-I just want to make sure I make good use of this time, you know? Running a business could be more difficult than either of us think it is. Besides, I want to see if the three of them managed to burn the building at all." She added the last bit with a broad smile as she turned back to her things.

Tatsuki watched her back for a minute or two before sitting up from the bed and forcing a pained smile. She looked at the clock that stated the time was five, forty-five. _You've always been a terrible liar. Haven't you, Orihime?_

/0/0/

"Please be very, VERY careful, Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime shouted over the horrendously loud noise of the chopper. "And WIN, okay?!"

Tatsuki nodded, handing her things to the attendant of the helicopter. "You too, alright?!"

"Eh?! Don't be silly! I'm only going to be in Tokyo!"

Clicking her teeth in annoyance, Tatsuki embraced her friend as tightly as she could. After releasing her, Tatsuki poked Orihime lightly on the forehead, contriving a stern expression. "Exactly why you need to be careful! And damn it, you had better be in our dorm room with one of your crazy concoctions by the time I get back. No excuses!"

Blinking with apparent confusion, Orihime nodded and walked her friend up to the flying device. Tatsuki climbed in and looked down to see the copper-headed beauty holding out a trinket in the shape of a dragon.

"What's this?" she asked, taking it and inspecting it.

"A good luck charm!" Orihime stated proudly. "But don't worry! You'll get your real Christmas gift when you get back."

With a smirk, Tatsuki settled herself completely in the helicopter. As the chopper took off, Orihime held her mink hat on her head with one hand, the other waved good-bye to her friend.

/0/0/

The wind was blowing hard enough to penetrate Orihime's many layers of winter attire, causing the young woman to shiver slightly under the dull sunrise that was slowing enveloping the campus. She glanced up at the dreary sky, not failing to notice the clouds that seemed to allude to a snow shower.

Holding the bag with her glove covered hands in front of her, she trudged silently along one of the many paths that surrounded the school. Orihime inhaled deeply before burying her chilled features in her lengthy scarf and continuing her trek to the pond.

Several minutes passed before she was able to catch a shimmering glimpse of sunburst near the still body of water. The closer she got, she saw that Ichigo was talking casually with Chad, who nodded his head every once in a while to show that he was still listening. It didn't take them long to hear the shuffling of her tiny feet against the bare sidewalk.

"Oi, Inoue's here," Ichigo commented once he caught sight of his bundled up friend. He looked her up and down as she neared them. "Morning, Inoue. You cold? It looks like you've got a lot of layers…"

Orihime lifted her face from her protective knit accessory with a smile and a tiny shake of her head. "Good morning, Kurosaki-kun. I'm alright. I've got a least three layers of clothes on. Good morning, Sado-kun!"

Chad, assumingly, gazed down at the petite girl. "Morning."

Orihime set her bag down carefully and rubbed her gloved hands together with slight excitement. "So, Kurosaki-kun, how are we… well… going to go about this? I'm going to assume that you did not talk to any administrators about this. They wouldn't let us leave, let alone give us the necessary paperwork that would allow us to access the helicopters…"

He nodded, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. "You're right. We just got a leave from school, and even if we were allowed, all of the members of the board wouldn't be able to sign the waivers before Christmas."

"Then what are we going to do?"

"There's only one person who could possibly give us any kind of help at this time, no matter how much I regret having to ask him."

Orihime and Chad felt their interests peak at the mention of an unnamed individual. "Who?" Chad asked.

With a huff, Ichigo turned towards a small building lying near the outskirts of the school's property, its simple appearance looking out of place amongst the towering pine trees. Orihime squinted before she realized whom the building belonged to.

"He can really help us?" Orihime queried skeptically, not seeing how a mere shop-keeper could assist them in their current dilemma.

"Well, he's assisted with even crazier situations than this one," a voice sounded from behind the group, causing them to jump. "Did you really think that I wouldn't find out about this little adventure, Kurosaki?"

The three looked over their shoulders to see an irritated Ishida standing with his arms crossed over his chest, a bag resting next to his feet. It was impossible to see his eyes, thanks to the magnificent glare the sun had produced on his glasses, and Ichigo felt a small twinge of irritation.

"Should I give a damn if you find out?" Ichigo retorted stubbornly. "This hardly seems like something you'd want to be involved with anyway. Why're you here?"

Orihime could have sworn she saw Ishida's eyebrow twitch at that moment. "Why am _I_ here?! Because I'm _going_! I have just as much of a right to go as anyone! I watched Kuchiki-san get taken away too!"

"You'd be better just waiting for your chopper to go ahead and take you to your little fashion design meeting!"

"For your information, I deliberately missed that flight to go with you all!"

"Well, maybe you--!"

"H-hey!" Orihime interjected nervously, standing in between them and glancing back and forth at the two. "Let's not fight. We're supposed to be a team right? These petty little arguments aren't going to bring Kuchiki-san and Abarai-kun back…"

Ishida sighed as Ichigo huffed. The spectacled boy picked up his bag and plastered a miniscule smile upon his lips, taking several steps in the direction of the school shop. Chad was second to follow, simply throwing his bag over he shoulder and sauntering behind his classmate.

With a sympathetic smile Orihime gazed at Ichigo. "Shall we go, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo heaved another huff as he nodded and picked his own bag up from the floor.

/0/0/

As they approached the shop, Orihime couldn't successfully suppress a giggle. She happened to notice the remains of the sign that hung on the door, making her mind wander back to the first time she had been to visit the shopkeeper. The fact that he hadn't bothered to put up a new one was a sign that Ichigo had been frequently visiting, and thus making it useless to even try. Orihime listened to the shuffling of the boys feet against the sidewalk and then to her own clacking heels. Such a subtle thing quickly made her contemplate how out of place she was.

Chad had enough strength and quiet intelligence to be of help if they were to run into any hostile enemies, and Ishida was a clever individual possessing knowledge and common sense related to the city. It was only natural that Ichigo should go, as he had been friends with Rukia the longest out of the rescue team. _Will I even be able to help them? _She thought solemnly. _I'd never want to be in the way. _

"Oi, Inoue," she heard Ichigo say, shaking her from her pondering. "We're here."

She blinked a few times to see that he had opened the door to the shop and was holding it so that she could entered. Fumbling out an apology, she quickly passed through to portal to find that the shop still looked the same as it had months before. The only difference was the figure of a man sitting behind the counter, a knowing grin shining quite brightly through his stubble.

"Well, well! If it isn't Kurosaki-san and company!" he chimed, standing from his stool and lifting his hat so that his eyes were visible. "I was wondering what in the world was taking you all so long to come here. Although, at the same time, I feared that Kurosaki-san wouldn't be up for such a journey."

The four teenagers glanced in between themselves before Ichigo shot a glare at the man. "Urahara-san, the way you speak makes it seems as if you're aware of the current situation."

"Oh?" he questioned, flipping his magically-appearing fan out in front of his face and chuckling. "I may or may not know. I think it would be more… beneficial if we all pretended I had absolutely no idea what you kids are up to, hm? Imagine the board committee if they found out what in the world you all were trying to do! You're messing with a very power individual, you know~!"

"Well, how in the world did you find out?"

"A person such as myself operates on two things, Kurosaki-san! And those two things are observation and intuition! How mysterious is it that Kuchiki-san goes with you to the city and never comes back? How about the fact that the school receives a rather serious-sounding phone call from a Kuchiki Byakuya, her only surviving family? Or maybe the fact that Abarai-san hasn't returned as well spells a devious situation."

"And why did you find it necessary to collect such information?" Ishida asked with much indifference.

"If I hadn't done so," he started, "I wouldn't have been able to retrieve these for you in enough time." He reached into his suit and pulled out several pieces of folded papers, handing them to the skeptical fashion designer. "Please don't feel compelled to thank me."

Ishida casually folded them and let his eyes roll over the information. Slowly he found himself glancing from the papers to the shopkeeper and back to the papers.

"How did you--?"

"What are they?" Ichigo interrupted, grabbing the papers and looking at them incredulously. "How in the world…?"

"I ran into the older Kurosaki-san early this morning and asked him if he had any extra waivers lying around. The Academy tries to keep it a secret, but they've got pre-signed papers for emergencies. I told him that certain students needed a trip out of here as soon as possible. He agreed immediately."

"So my dad knows we're leaving?!" the orange-headed teenager asked anxiously.

"Not… exactly?" he answered.

"What's that--?!"

"Just take the papers and go! You really are going to miss the next copter out of here, and then those papers won't be of any use."

Ichigo took another glance at the faux waiver one last time before he looked up at Urahara again. It didn't take the store owner long to figure out that there was still one last thing weighing on his mind.

"Something you'd like to ask?" he asked teasingly.

Ichigo's eye twitched as he attempted to keep his composure. "Yeah, actually…"

"Mhm?"

"I-- none of us know our way around that part of the city…" he mumbled.

"Oh, is that all?" he asked with a small chuckle. "You're in luck. A very good friend of mine is here visiting. I'm sure she wouldn't mind taki--"

"Oi, I'm back," and older woman's voice called from the back of the shop. "This place really is out in the middle of nowhere, huh? It took forever to just find some soda!"

"Well, speak of the devil!" Urahara exclaimed goofily.

The four teenagers heard her foot steps approaching and the clattering of junk that had been left on the floor. As she stuck her head out from the sliding screen, Urahara inwardly grinned when the woman's and the teenagers' faces fell into the same blank expression.

They looked at her with pure amazement. A gorgeous woman with a tawny complexion and impressively long black hair stared back at them. She blinked a couple of times before sending a wordless query at the shopkeeper.

"Guys," he said addressing the students, "this is Shihoin Yoruichi. She will be your guide during your trip."

A moment of silence was all it took before the information set in and Yoruichi was grabbing Urahara by his collar, her countenance donning a menacing expression.

"What did you just say? It sounded as if you just told these kids I was going to be their guide…"

"That's what I said," he responded fearlessly. "You don't mind right? You know your way around _that place_ just as well as I."

"Then why don't you go?!"

"I can't leave my post at a time like this! It's winter break and the children actually have the opportunity to come restock on their supplies! It's also a good season to buy some snacks…"

"So, basically, you want me to take on such a task WHEN I JUST GOT HERE?! Do you know how long I sat on a plane just to fly back here to Japan? Do you?! Maybe you haven't heard, but America's damn far from here! This is definitely the LAST time I visit!"

"Aw~!" he exclaimed with a puppy-dog look in his eyes. "Don't say that! I appreciate you coming here. Say, I'll make it up to you later, okay? When you get back, I'll do something special for you?"

"Eh? Like what?"

The shopkeeper pulled his fan out once more and shielded his face. "Yoruichi-san, saying such things would be inappropriate in front of children!"

"Oh~!"

"So, get out."

"…what?"

"Why are all of you such procrastinators? How many tears will you shed when you've realized the helicopter has up and left you? Get. Out. If you've wasted my time, it'll be the last occasion where I've dare to help!"

"F-fine!" Ichigo chimed, already moving towards the door and opening it.

The shopkeeper watched Ichigo hold it as everyone exited, Yoruichi making sure she shot a glare at him as she left.

Once they were by themselves, Ichigo suddenly bowed deeply.

The shopkeeper chuckled. "What's this about?"

"I-I… I really appreciate this, Urahara-san."

"Oh?"

"Yes," Ichigo responded before straightening himself out. "So, feel free to call this place the Urahara Shoten, if you still want to. I won't make you take it down. It's the least I can do to make this up to you."

"Haha, alright. I'll make sure to do that."

"Thanks," he said quickly before exiting the building.

Urahara watched all of their figures climbing the path with a grin and small laugh. "Good luck."

/0/0/

_Tah-dah~!_

_I hope you guys can at least find that acceptable. I promise to work harder from now on, okay? :]_

_**Onto the reviewers!**_

_**Blitch:** Happy new year to you too! (Jeez… that's ridiculously late! XD) I have plenty of IchiHime fluff moments planned, so you don't have to worry about that. Thank you for the review!_

_**bloodyrose1294:** There's not as much action as I wanted to throw in here, but next time round you can bet your bottom that there will be some conflict. I'll do my best to make you miserable with cliffhangers after every update! Thank you for the review!_

_**SunsetRainbow:** Thank you so much! I'm really glad you do! :]_

_**infiniteternity:** Thank you! What a nice review. I'm glad you've found my story not only readable but enjoyable as well!_

_**Atemu'sLotus: **Ahaha... that was originially based off a cake I've baked! Naturally, something terrible had to be added, huh? xD Thank you!_

_**Sweet Yet Painful:** I thought the reviews would be nice since I've been really bad about updating lately. At the very least I can give you some insight into the next chapter! Thank you!_

_**Babiip:** Thanks! It was chapter fifty-something (I don't remember anymore either!). I did write that with that chapter in mind. No one says that kind of thing better than Kubo-sensei._

_**totalnarutofangirl85:** Ahaha! I've been dying to write a remake of the rescue arc, so now I've got my opportunity! Thanks a lot!_

_**xXWinterXx:** I'm just going to say that it was you being over-sensitive! I'm not confident in my abilities to write sad scenes, seeing as I'm kind of emotionally-cold in real life. Thank you for the review!_

_**DragonoftheEastBlue:** I'm very sorry you're finding it hard to follow! I'll try harder in the future! Thank you!_

_**Stickman-sam:** I hope they get together soon too! I don't even know when I plan to throw them together anymore, but I promise I won't make you wait forever for it!_

**Chapter Twelve- **_**Welcome to the World**_

_No preview this time round! xD_


	15. Welcome to the World

_Er… uh… hi there…? _

_:stoned, shot, egged:_

_SORRY! I'm really sorry! I graduated from high school a week ago and decided to clean out all of my research papers and writing assignments only to stumble upon a little file titled, "chappytwelve"! I'm ashamed. This little guy (and he is little… a relatively short chapter with a bunch o' info) has been sitting around for a WHILE. I apologize for forgetting to publish it. I was sure that I already had._

_Good news is that, if I'm not too busy relearning to read Japanese, I'll have more free time to actually put some quality time into this story. Please enjoy this smallish chapter and stick around for the next one. I really appreciate it. :D_

**Disclaimer- **_For the last time (because I'm not doing anymore of these), I don't own Bleach. I wouldn't have to worry about my expensive college tuition if I did. :/_

**Chapter Twelve- **_**Welcome to the World**_

"Let me get this straight," Yoruichi started, the faint hint of twitching on her brows. "You're traveling all the way out to Tokyo for a friend who decided she would leave on her own? You all have absolutely no idea what you're getting into… or who you're messing with. And that all goes without saying that the building we're traveling to is in Ginza, which is, in case you didn't know, an extremely crowded area. What're you going to do if this girl isn't in this building, hm?"

Ichigo ignored the fact that he could feel his mouth dropping into a deep frown and responded, "We're going to keep looking for her! We have no other options. You weren't there to see her face. She really didn't want to have to go with her brother-in-law."

"Oh? Is that so, Kurosaki?" the older woman said, feigning enthusiasm before settling into a less-than-pleased expression. "I suggest you get a better plan than, 'We'll keep looking for her!' While it's a rather humorous answer, I can't pretend that you won't fail. Tokyo is Tokyo. When you factor in that you're going to a place like that one… you'll end up empty-handed."

"Yoruichi-san," Orihime chimed in meekly, finally making her voice heard, "You keep saying 'a place like that' or 'that place'. If you don't mind my asking, where is 'that place'? Why should it make us wary?"

Silence, for the first time since it had taken off, had fallen on the helicopter. Orihime and Yoruichi sat on one side of the flying machine, while the boys had been crammed on the opposite side, facing the girls. Ishida had been seemingly asleep, but lifted his left eyelids when he heard his companion pose the question. It was clear that the query had been weighing on the minds of all of the teenagers, as Chad and Ichigo seemed to sit up a little straighter.

"Has curiosity gotten the best of you? Shall I tell you all I know?"

Orihime nodded slowly, blinking her eyes several times as if preparing to not shut them again for a while.

"Fine. Where should I start?" Yoruichi mumbled to herself, attempting to find her starting point. Once she finally picked a spot, she spoke again. "About fifty years ago, a man named Yamamoto Genryuusai suddenly appeared on the economic frontier. No one knew where he had come from, but one day he upped and bought a huge lot of land in Ginza. From that point, he built up a company that would later have connections with some of the most prominent members of every country on the face of this planet. He named it Gotei Enterprises.

"This circular building is composed twenty-eight floors and is extremely wide in diameter. The floors are divided by two and from there are given to certain individuals who are able to run a certain section of the company."

"Why do we need to know the shape of the building?" Ichigo asked in a slightly irritated tone.

Yoruichi leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. "If you'd give me a damn moment, I could let you know that what's really important is not the structure of the building, but the people who are in charge of its sections!"

"F-fine…" he responded in transparent defeat. "You can continue…"

"Back to what I was saying," she said after she cleared her throat. "The twenty-eight floors are divided up, with each individual receiving two floors to manage. Those individuals are referred to as Kaichou and their first subordinates would naturally be their Fukushachou. Even though they are called 'President', Yamamoto-san is still well in charge of the whole business. There are thirteen Kaichou, including Yamamoto himself."

"That only equals twenty-six of the twenty-eight floors being taken up, Yoruichi-san," Ishida remarked from his seat.

"You're right. That's because the first two floors are dedicated to some heavy security. There is one entrance from the front on the ground-level floor, but once you get to the second floor, you'll probably have some issues. That building is practically a maze. There are four elevators on that floor. One will take you to the second floor, another will skip some floors and have you end up on the thirteenth floor. The third elevator gets you to the fifteenth, and the last one will have you end up on the twentieth. Once you get to the twentieth floor, all that's left are staircases."

"Can I ask you a question, Yoruichi-san?" Ichigo asked once she had finished.

"Yeah. Go ahead."

"Do you think that Rukia will be in that building? I mean, before you sounded as if she wouldn't be…"

"No. She won't be," was her reply, delivered swiftly and without mercy.

"Eh?! Wha--?!"

"She could, however, be in the building connected to it."

"The building connected…?" Orihime repeated it to herself.

"That's right. Once you get to the twenty-second floor of the Gotei Enterprises building, there is a terminal, or a bridge, that connects to an apartment building used solely by the employees of the company. It's more likely that you'll find her there."

"Why couldn't we just enter that building first?" Chad queried.

"Impossible."

"… Really?"

"Yeah. That building literally doesn't have entrance besides the one through the Gotei building."

"How bizarre…" Orihime muttered as she momentarily glanced out the windows to find that there was still no sign of an urban area. "So basically, our plan is…?"

"Locate the Gotei Corporation building and enter it," Yoruichi said first.

"Find the elevator that can get us straight to the twentieth floor…" Ishida continued.

"… and climb the stairs until we get to the twenty-second to cross the terminal to the apartment building," Chad commented.

Orihime felt her face growing a smile. "From there we can…"

"…locate Rukia and Renji," Ichigo completed, leaving the teenagers to send confident glances to one another. "We can definitely do this."

"Let's do our best," Orihime encouraged with a completed grin, looking at the others to see them nod.

Yoruichi tried to cover her own small smile by turning her head to face a window and closing her eyes. "You crazy kids… Wake me up when we land in Ginza."

/0/0/

"I forgot how great shopping was here in Ginza!" Orihime exclaimed as she glanced back and forth between the Gucci and Prada buildings. "I might have to stop here when we get Kuchiki-san back!"

"Speaking of shopping," Ishida said, adjusting his glasses, "I've been meaning to tell you that I have some new clothes for you, Inoue-san."

Despite how loud it was in the crowd, there was no doubt in who had grunted within the rescue group. A certain tangerine-headed individual looked over his shoulder in a clearly disgruntled manner.

"Why are you giving her clothes, huh?" he asked, trying his best not to sound irritated. "You've got your girlfriend now, don't you? Won't she be offended?"

Yoruichi, who had been leading the group through the district, clicked her teeth. "Surely she won't be as offended as you are. What a transparent kid…"

"W-who's transparent?!" Ichigo managed to squeak out. He wouldn't know it, but the faint color of crimson had begun to flush to his face and ears. "Isn't it only logical that his girlfriend would be pissed?"

"First of all," Ishida started, pushing up his glasses and trying to conceal his amusement, "Kurotsuchi-san isn't the type of woman to be angered just because I gifted some clothes to Inoue-san. Besides, I've been giving her clothes since I met her! In fact, the outfit she's currently wearing is made up from pieces of my collection. So, now you should know that it's no big deal."

Unbeknownst to Ishida, his words were hardly helping his current situation. He was unable to detect the faintest raising of body temperature and irritation from his so-called friend. With a wave of his hand, he picked up his pace and casually sped up to walk next to Chad, who was so lost in his own thoughts to notice the nervous glances he was receiving from pedestrians.

"I've never met someone so irritating in my entire life…" Ichigo muttered to himself, shoving his hands as far as he could manage and turned to Yoruichi who was having a difficult time hiding her amusement. "Where is this place anyway? Are we even close to the building?"

Lifting her head and squinting her eyes as if she was looking at a distant object, Yoruichi responded, "Do me a favor, kid and look up there." He did and once he caught sight of the obvious building, she felt her own face droop into a frown. "That, right there, is the Gotei Enterprises building. If you've got any second guessing in your heart, we're turning back now."

Ichigo gulped down the moisture that had accumulated in his mouth and blinked several times to make sure what he was seeing actually existed. Buildings that normally would be called tall seemed to pale in comparison to the two coal colored buildings that peeked out from behind them. It might have been his imagination, but the sky looked as if it had darkened around the tips of the two giant cylinders before him. Most people wouldn't be bothered by a simple building, and Ichigo wasn't. What got him shaken up was the vibe he felt from the building and the feeling of impending danger he was experiencing. Just when he felt his heart dropping into his stomach, he felt a light touch on his arm and the instant warmth that stemmed from it. Looking down, he was able to catch sight of a beautiful, petite girl he called his classmate.

With a smile, she patted his arm tenderly. "We can do it, Kurosaki-kun. Don't forget that Kuchiki-san's up there waiting for us."

As she nodded and began walking in the direction of the building, Ichigo felt himself lose his tension. No, she was much more than a classmate.

/0/0/

Ichigo would never quite understand why the regular citizens of Tokyo could so casually pass by the Gotei building without so much as a second glance or feeling a sudden chill creep up their spine. It wasn't the shade that the buildings produced that made him feel several degrees cooler, but the aura it exuded. He took the opportunity to look to the top of the building to confirm its height and looked to his sides to see his friends lined up in front of the entrance.

"You guys ready?" he asked, knowing the answers he was going to receive.

"…It's a little late for you to ask now," Ishida responded, pushing his glasses up slightly with a frown.

Chad simply nodded, and Orihime grinned, offering a thumbs up to him, which he gladly received.

Yoruichi patted him on his shoulder. "Alright, kid. Let's do this quickly."

He crossed his arms and donned an ever-confident smirk. "Yeah."

/0/0/

_A/N: A few things I feel that need mentioning before you ask. :D_

_1. Ginza is, yes, a real district in Tokyo. It's most famous for its high-end department stores, but it's really the only place I could picture throwing an ominous building belonging to the Gotei 13. I just feel like the beautiful buildings of that area would be the best compliment to two dark and evil looking towers._

_2. I like authentic Japanese when properly used, but I try my best to only use it when I feel like it doesn't sound n00bish. So, I did ultimately decide that I want to use Kaichou and Fukushachou in this story. Just note to yourselves that Kaichou = President and Fukushachou = Vice-President, kay? :D I'll admit that Fukushachou is a mouthful, so I apologize… but doesn't it just sound cooler than wimpy little "Vice-President"? I think so._

_3. There's actually no three…_

_Thank you so much to my reviewers. I know I haven't been consistent but getting to 100 reviews was hardly what I anticipated when I first published this story. I'm really quite grateful as this is my first ever fan fiction. Thanks again._

**Chapter Thirteen- **_**Crazy Moon  
**_

_There is no preview because, quite frankly, I haven't even started on it. :]_


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